


Catharsis

by Cupcake_Princess



Series: Our Serendipity [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: ... we'll be getting there later with the other stuff ;), Alcohol, Angst and Fluff and Smut, But the best kind, Catty and Bratty are amazing, Chara is evil, College/University Setting, Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Five Years Later, Frisk is a Little Shit, Gender-Neutral Frisk (Undertale), Guns, Hurt/Comfort, I write crime fiction and it shows, Knives, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mettaton being extra, More tags to come as I think of them, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader has a vagina, Selectively Mute Frisk (Undertale), Skippable Smut, Slow Burn, Souls, Speciesism, There will be Porn, bad robot flirting, ecto-dick is now a thing...., god it's a while off yet but just clearing things up, gratuitous pie puns, its a little political, my bad puns, not an au, ok, reader uses she/her pronouns, sans' bad puns, spooky scary skeletons - Freeform, there's some pretty graphic violence, you're going to the bone zone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2019-08-21 20:19:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 59,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16583438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cupcake_Princess/pseuds/Cupcake_Princess
Summary: University is hard. You have no friends, constantly have papers due... and now a terrorist organisation wants you dead.It's a good thing Ebott is home to some very strong allies, and one cute skeleton that just won't leave you alone.(Note: this is my first fic for the Undertale fandom. I hope you enjoy, and PLEASE tell me if you would like anything tagged!)





	1. Papers and Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I hope you're ready to sin because honey, you've got a big storm coming~

It was late. Very late. Your tired eyes protested as they dragged down the page before you. This was the third time you’d tried to catch what was written, but it wasn’t any use. Exhausted, even your fluency in English had started to deteriorate, and attempting to study ASL simply left you feeling like a directionless tortoise. Taking ages to get anywhere, and always ending up right back at the start.

You closed the book and leant back in your chair, the stretch of your spine feeling so damn good after being hunkered down over your desk for… _how long?!_ The sky outside was dark, and it looked like there was nobody else in the library. For a Saturday in midwinter however, it wasn’t too unusual to be by yourself for a whole day in here. Hopefully, it was just the night closing in faster.

A quick glance at your phone made you groan. It was almost midnight, each ticking second a reminder that…

“The paper’s due Monday,” you muttered through gritted teeth. You debated punching the desk in frustration. There was no librarian around to look disapprovingly at you, it seemed even they had gone home for the night.

 _As should I,_ you thought. The desk would live another day, but if you couldn’t crack your topic tomorrow, not even the librarians would be able to save it from your wrath. Slipping the book back into your bag, you rummaged around for your ID card before standing up to walk to the elevator. The English department was on the fourth floor, and frankly the stairs could go fuck themselves. You’d always suspected that they were up to something.

The library itself was the tallest building on the university campus. Six floors of literature with various nooks and crannies to curl up in. It was your favourite place to be and you often lost track of time when deep in a book. It wasn’t like you didn’t go out to the various clubs and bars nearby. They had their appeal when the loneliness hit, and you couldn’t face going back to your flat alone.

It wasn’t something you were proud of. After all, it was your fault you were alone here. You’d begged your parents to let you come to Ebott, refused to forge relationships that would be left behind. And for what?

 _A degree,_ you always reminded yourself. _A chance to make a difference._ Because you had _plans._

And _nothing_ was going to stop you.

Whilst you stood and waited for the elevator to arrive, you loaded up the music app on your phone and popped an earbud in. It was a little comforting, letting the sound wash over you as your surroundings became almost misty. Fuck, you were tired. Maybe before leaving you’d be able to grab a cup of coffee from the vending machine. It was probably a good idea, although you didn’t live that far off campus and security was great, having something warm to keep you grounded in reality would help massively.

The light above the elevator blinked on, indicating its arrival. As soon as the doors opened, you shuffled in to lean against the back. As you hit the button for the ground floor a brightly coloured poster caught your eye. It took a moment of staring for you to realise what it was for.

 _Anti-Monsters’ Rights._ You let out a little growl, lost in the rattle of the doors sliding shut.

‘Humanity’s Defence’, they called themselves. A group of far-right thugs who despised anything different. They’d started an unofficial society on campus a couple of months ago, pissed off at the fact monsters had finally been allowed to attend schools. Any qualifications they’d brought with them from underground were essentially void as the government decided the system of education they’d had was not sufficient. And the monsters agreed. Most of the information they’d had about humans was through your kind’s trash, and frankly monster surgeons whose only exposure to human physiology was through anime didn’t exactly bode well.

Although you did wonder what it would be like to wake from an operation with real, functioning cat ears. You hoped that some of what they’d picked up from Mew Mew Kissy Cutie stuck.

It was purely chance that Ebott had been your university of choice. When the barrier had broken, monsters took up residence in the surrounding area and their more influential populace were brought to the city. They’d mostly stayed here once various legal proceedings had deemed them citizens, which was equal measures good and bad. Good because the local community was flourishing; bringing in new technologies and ideas. Bad because suddenly this city was the hub of anti-monster sentiments.

The posters were new though. You hadn’t seen them on your way in, and now as you glared at the pile of ash crudely drawn on the page, a surge of revulsion hit you.

You nudged the edge to the side with your ID. Knowing sometimes groups like this weren’t averse to putting razor blades behind propaganda to stop people removing them, it never hurt to be too careful. Thankfully nothing was there, and you pocketed your card before taking hold of the edge to pull it down. Sparing one last look at the intact page, you ripped it in half.

Of course, that was the moment the elevator doors opened. You hadn’t noticed it stop, a combination of exhaustion and anger making you more than a little delirious. As the harsh lighting of the foyer beamed in, you realised you weren’t alone.

A man was glaring at you from outside the door. He was tall, dark hair neatly combed, and most importantly he was holding a stack of posters much like the one you had just torn up. Your blood ran cold.

“Monster sympathising bitch,” he snarled, dropping the pile before stepping forwards.

He swung, but you were quicker, dodging his sloppy fists that came too heavily to make a connection. Unfortunately, you had nowhere to go and as your back brushed metal, he finally made contact. The force of the punch colliding with your chest threw you against the wall, and your head connected with the metal. Pain ripped through you as the room lost focus momentarily.

“Why can’t you women be satisfied with your own _species?_ ” He punctuated the word with a knee to your stomach, and you fell hard against the floor, wrapping your hands around your head in defence. The door began to close, but he jammed his foot against it, holding it open. “We’re just trying to fuckin’ protect you, and this is the thanks we get?”

“sure doesn’t look that way.” You glanced through the gap between your arms and saw another person stood behind the assailant. From your current position, you could only see their shoes. But everything was so blurry that even if the man blocking your view moved, it would probably make no difference.

“Move on,” your attacker ground out without turning around.

Panic rose in your throat. What if they didn’t stop? “P-please help,” you croaked out between gasps.

“Shut up.” A swift kick hit your arm, and you tightened your hold around your head. He tensed, as if to lash out again.

But the blow never came.

“What the fuck?” he yelled. Sneaking a peek, you saw something. As to what, you weren’t quite sure.

Through your blurry vision, you could tell the man before you was emitting some kind of eerie glow. It enveloped him from head to toe, and despite the obvious tensing of his muscles, he couldn’t move.

Behind him was a figure in a blue, hooded jacket. You couldn’t quite see their face, a cyan light that burned the air obstructing your view.

“sorry pal, i don’t just ‘move on’.” The figure came closer, edging around your attacker and into the elevator to stand between you and him. “and if i were you, i’d learn from this. otherwise… **y o u ’ r e  g o n n a  h a v e  a  r e a l  b a d  t i m e.** ”

It was like the life had been sucked out of the air. You shuddered, but as quick as the chill began, it abruptly ended. Turning around and crouching in front of you, the figure extended a hand.

“you alright, kid?”

The man behind him began to yell, screaming profanities at the top of his lungs. But you barely heard them.

The person in front of you was a skeleton. That in itself wasn’t unusual, but his left eye blazed blue. The light you had previously seen licked up and around his eye socket, dancing like flames. It was beautiful.

A gentle chuckle roused you back to reality. “nice of ya to say, but i’m all skin and bones really. well, _sans_ the skin. i’m sans, by the way.”

It took you a minute to realise what he meant, but the moment you did, you felt heat rush to your cheeks. Mumbling out your name in response, you pulled a face. “I really said that out loud, didn’t I?” you mumbled.

“yep.” His lazy grin stretched ear to ear, but there was a note of concern in his tone. “d’ya need a hand standing up?”

“I…” you tried to say that you were fine, but common sense and the persistent ache in your head overtook. “Please.”

Taking hold of Sans’ hand, you pulled yourself up. It was easier than expected, and for the tiniest fraction of a second, you felt almost weightless. However, the moment you stood solidly again, the sensation was gone. Gently and without letting go, Sans pulled you past the still shouting man and into the foyer.

A clunk had you glancing back, and you noticed the elevator door was trying to shut repeatedly on the man’s foot. He was still frozen in place. It wasn’t much, but there was something vaguely gratifying about it.

“Is that you?” you suddenly asked.

Sans snorted. “yeah, and frankly he’s lucky i’m just holding him there. don’t want trouble with security when they get here.”

“Do I need to call them?” There was a slight slur to your words and hearing it, Sans carefully guided you into a chair.

“already taken care of. i saw this lowlife creeping about earlier, sticking posters up. didn’t think anyone would get hurt, so i kept my distance but…” He exhaled sharply. “i should not have done that.” Reaching out, he delicately pulled the earphone from your ear. You blinked.

“I didn’t know that was still in there.” Somehow it had hung on through everything. To be completely honest, you didn’t really remember putting it in in the first place…

Crouching down, he looked into your eyes. If you hadn’t already been blushing, the intensity of his stare would have lit up your face again.

“your pupils are a little dilated, did’ja hit your head at all?” he murmured.

You tried to think back. “Y-yeah, I think.” Sans’ expression darkened.

“alright. as soon as someone gets here, we’re going to getcha some help. you might have a concussion.”

It took a minute to process what he’d said, and by the time it had properly sunk it, two security guards had arrived. Part of your brain took in the fact that your attacker now lay face down on the floor in handcuffs. Another part lazily realised that Sans’ glowing eye had dimmed, fading to a pinprick of light to match the other. He stood explaining the situation in words too quick to fully understand.

And then it hit you.

“I can’t have a concussion,” you moaned. “I have a paper due.”

There was silence for a moment, before Sans’ breathy chuckle dragged your attention back. You heard him mumble something to security before crossing back over to you.

“i’m sure this is grounds for an extension.” He grinned. Although when wasn’t he grinning? Taking your hand again, he pulled you to your feet. “gonna get you some help now anyway. smile, kid. you’re about to meet royalty.”

You blinked, and suddenly the library was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like the first chapter. I really didn't want to do another 'Sans saves the reader when they're in trouble' fic, but that's just the way the start of this one went. Don't worry, there'll be plenty of time for saving him later *^^*


	2. A Concussion Doesn't Have to be a Bad Time

“Whaaa…” You were standing in a cosy yellow kitchen. Copper pans hung above a stove at least twice the size of the one in your flat, and the fresh smell of herbs filled the air. It was remarkably pleasant. But despite all that, a surge of dizziness hit you. Disoriented and more than a little freaked out, you honestly didn’t notice that Sans was talking to you.

“– just teleported for the first time. it can get a bit weird, so try to relax-.”

 _Teleported?_ You understood the word, but somehow the meaning was taking its sweet time to catch up. “Bu-bu-but we were there, and now we’re not, and…”

Sans raised an eyebrow. Or rather, an arch of bone where his brow should have been. _How does that even work?_ “yeah, that’s kinda the point of teleportation.” Carefully, he pushed you back into a chair. You didn’t even see where it had come from, but that fact didn’t really bother you. Sans was nice, and he wasn’t going to hurt you.

Or was he? You had no idea where you were or what was going on, and thinking was difficult, but even now you knew it wasn’t normal to go anywhere secluded with someone you’d just met.

The words “is this your house?” dried on the tip of your tongue as he slid a finger under your chin, and using his thumb to bracket your jaw, carefully tilted it upwards. _To check your eyes again,_ you reminded yourself, but the damage was already done, and you felt a familiar heat begin to blossom over your cheeks.

“still a little unfocused,” he murmured. It didn’t feel like the words were directed at you, more so that he was simply speaking aloud. Not that you really cared. His voice was so nice and soothing, and his hand still gently held your face. It was strangely warm for a skeleton. You felt your eyelids begin to drift shut when suddenly–

“Sans, what are you doing here?” A voice cried. His hand dropped from your face. Turning your head slightly too quickly caused you to wince as the room spun, but nothing could have prepared you for what you saw next.

Toriel, queen of all monsters and ruthless politician was leaning against the doorframe. She was wearing a silky-looking bathrobe over what appeared to be snail patterned pyjamas. Something about the whole image was ridiculously hilarious to you, and try as you might, you couldn’t keep the little giggle down.

Toriel’s eyes widened as she finally took you in. “Oh,” she breathed.

The moment her focus turned to you, the seriousness of her presence finally set in. “Y-you brought me to the queen’s house?” you squeaked.

Sans looked a little sheepish. “yeah, i, err, coulda called ahead. sorry, old lady.”

 _Old lady?!_ You were certain Toriel was going to at the very least kick you out now, and you still had no idea what was going on. But the goat monster huffed a laugh and walked over, all trace of shock gone from her face.

“Hello, my child. I am Toriel, and you are…?”

Her wide smile threw you off a little, and you somehow managed to stutter out your name.

“It is good to meet you,” she said genuinely, before turning back to Sans. “Now can you please explain what you are doing in my kitchen at this hour?”

“i think she has a concussion.”

Concern immediately flashed over Toriel’s face as she gently tilted your chin back. It was a very different sensation to when Sans had done it earlier; the fluffiness of her fingers warm and comforting. Not that Sans’ hadn’t been both, it just felt more… _maternal_ when she repeated the action.

You’d been thinking too hard again and had missed a huge block of the conversation remembering the feel of smooth bone against your face. Zoning back in, you heard the entire tone had shifted.

“And you’re sure he was a member?”

Sans shrugged. “he was sticking up posters and ranting about trying to protect human women. pretty sure that makes him one.”

You watched as Toriel’s furry brow creased. “So why did he attack ___? It sounds awfully… random.”

“I was tearing up that stupid poster in the lift and he caught me,” you slurred. The two monsters froze before turning back to look at you again with shocked expressions on their faces. You felt more than a little uncomfortable under their scrutiny and laughed nervously. “H-hey, it’s just not fair, y’know? I didn’t wanna leave it up for someone else to have to look at…”

Silence stretched on for one long moment until Toriel snorted. “You sure know how to pick them, Sans.”

She turned and disappeared down the corridor before the skeleton was even able to stutter out “h-hey!” at her retreating form. You still had no idea what any of this meant, but you relaxed back into the chair and shut your eyes briefly.

That was, until Sans spoke. “you are so unusual, y’know?” Stealing a glance at him, you noticed he now leant against the fridge, hands set in his pockets.

“How?” you mumbled.

“ya did something. most people wouldn’t even look at one of us if we were being directly attacked, let alone voluntarily taking down posters like that.”

You frowned. “That’s just dumb. I’m sure there’s a ton of people who’d do the same.” A fleeting thought dashed through your mind, and before you had the chance to stop it, the words came out of your mouth. “… like, a _skele_ -ton.”

For the second time in five minutes, Sans froze. His mouth hung open, and for a second, you wondered if you’d said something wrong.

And then he laughed. Not a chuckle like the one’s you’d heard before, but an unrestrained snicker that swelled up to the point where he clutched at the kitchen countertop with one hand to steady himself. A light dusting of blue spread over his skull, and the whole thing was so unexpected, you could only stare.

When Toriel returned clutching a bag of what looked like sweets, he was still laughing. She arched a brow.

“it…” Sans took a deep breath to steady himself. “it’s been a _really_ long day, and turns out, the kid’s _pun_ ny.” You had a feeling that if you hadn’t been so out of it, you would have groaned. Toriel smiled kindly.

“Well, I’ll take that as a good sign. From what I can tell, you do have a very mild concussion, but it’s nothing a bit of monster candy and rest won’t fix. Although,” she levelled a look at Sans. “I don’t know why you assumed she would be safe to teleport with a head injury.”

That sobered him up. “done it before,” he muttered. “think it’s just disorientating, especially for first timers.”

“Even so…” Toriel dug in the bag for a moment before handing you a small sweet. It was wrapped in purple paper with a cute heart pattern. “Eat it, child. It will help with the pain.”

You did as she directed, making short work of the paper before popping it in your mouth. It was, for lack of a better word, strange. The flavour was fine, but it fizzed against your tongue, disappearing into nothingness far faster than a normal hard candy should. Not only that, but the second it began to dissolve, all of your aches from the attack lessened until finally, it was like nothing had happened. Your head still felt heavy, and the world seemed a little out of focus, but apart from that, everything was back to normal.

Toriel saw your stunned expression and gently patted you on the shoulder. “Monster candy can take a while to get used to for those unaccustomed to its… _sweet_ effects.”

You glossed over the fact that the queen of monsters had just used a pun. “But it’s just… gone?”

“aaaaand that’s why i brought ya here. human hospitals don’t have this stuff yet, not until we can push out a few scientists to prove how it works. well,” he huffed and stared at the ceiling. “‘qualified’ ones at least.”

Something in his tone was almost sad, but before you had a chance to ask him what he meant, Toriel interrupted.

“___, do you live with anyone?”

You thought about your empty flat. “… no.” The word had a bit more finality than intended, and you cringed slightly.

“Hmm,” Toriel looked thoughtful. “In that case, I would feel much more comfortable if you took the spare room here tonight, so I can keep an eye on your condition. I have only been able to alleviate your pain, but a concussion itself must heal with time.”

“R-really?” you asked, voice a little higher pitched than normal.

“That is, if you wouldn’t mind-,” Toriel took your surprise as discomfort, but you quickly interrupted.

“Of course I wouldn’t mind, it’s just… you’re the queen of monsters…”

She waved you off. “It is simply a title, and I assure you there are much more special people in this world.”

You were about to reply, when a phone rang.

_“Spooky scary skeletons, send shivers down your spine”_

You’d recognise those damn lyrics anywhere, and, biting back a laugh, looked at Sans. He just smiled back, glancing at the caller ID before sighing.

“welp, that’s my bro. gotta go before he tears the campus apart lookin’ for me. i’ll come back tomorrow to make sure ya get home ok. see ya tori. kid.”

Before you could reply, there was a little _pop_ , and suddenly the kitchen was _sans_ a skeleton. Toriel chuckled.

“You’ll get used to it. He shows up when you least expect it.” Then, extending a hand to you: “Now, my child. How does a good night’s sleep sound?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd post two chapters at the same time. PLEASE tell me what you think *^^*


	3. Pieriffic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, here's Wonderwall~  
> No, but seriously:  
> [] You in ASL  
> {} Frisk in ASL

_“Monster sympathising bitch.” You knew the punch was coming, but your body just wouldn’t move the way it should. The air felt like thick tar, and even the scream that bubbled up in your throat couldn’t permeate it. His fist made contact, sending you sprawling backwards into cold metal. And the blows just kept coming._

_“We’re just trying to fuckin’ protect you,” he sneered. “And this is the thanks we get?” You were trying to move, struggling desperately to get up off the floor and fight back. But suddenly, he wasn’t alone._

_The horde of faceless men moved as one and as you looked on in horror, it dawned on you that you could not fight them all._

_And then you spotted a flash of blue somewhere in the distance. You tried to scream for help._

_… but nobody came._

Your eyes shot open, hands already coming up to protect yourself from…

… the young, brown haired teen leaning over you, eyes wide and nervous. _What the fuck?_ And then memories of last night came flooding back. The attack. Sans. Toriel.

But not this kid.

Then again, you didn’t need anyone to tell you who _they_ were.

“Frisk?” You had not been expecting to wake up face to face with the monsters’ ambassador of all people. For some reason it had totally slipped your mind that Toriel was their mother, although that was probably due to your concussion. Speaking of which…

Your hand rose up to the back of your head. Thankfully there wasn’t a lump, and when you turned your head from side to side, you noticed the blurriness and disorientation was all but gone. But that didn’t really matter as much now.

Because the very reason you’d started studying ASL was staring at you and you had no idea how to respond.

Being as you were currently a guest in their house, just sitting there wouldn’t do at all. Your hands shook as you began to move them.

[Hi, my name is ___.]

Frisk’s face split into a blinding smile as they quickly responded.

{You speak ASL? That’s great! I’m Frisk, but I think you already know that. I hope we can be friends.}

You grinned. They were as adorable in person as they had been on TV.

[It’s great to meet you Frisk, and I hope we will be too.]

Frisk clapped their hands together in a little celebration.

{Mom made pie and she told me to see if you were awake.}

You nodded.

[I’m starving. Pie would be good right now.]

After signing that you could get freshened up first, Frisk bounded out, shutting the door behind them.

It was awfully surreal, you thought as you pulled off the oversized t-shirt Toriel had leant you the night before. Yesterday you were panicking over your linguistic history paper, debating how much coffee was truly enough, and now…

… you were about to have breakfast with a queen and an ambassador before being picked up by a skeleton with magic powers.

Wait, was there an etiquette with these things?

After getting dressed in your clothes from the previous day (which looked suspiciously cleaner than you’d left them), you found the toothbrush Toriel had given you in the en-suite and quickly tidied up. The difference fresh breath and a splash of water over your face made was immense.

Feeling confident, you headed downstairs. The second you opened the door to the kitchen, you were greeted by the heart-warming scent of cinnamon and pastry undoubtedly rising from the massive pie that dominated the kitchen table. Frisk flashed you a smile from their perch on the countertop, a mug of something hot in their hand. Toriel was in the process of cutting a decent sized slice of the pie, but hearing the door open, she glanced up.

“Good morning ___. How are you feeling?”

“Much better.” You grinned. “Thank you so much for your generosity and inviting me to stay last night.”

“It was the least I could do,” Toriel said, motioning for you to sit. “After all, we’re the reason you were hurt in the first place.”

You took the proffered chair. “No offence, but my injuries were not your fault. I’m not going to blame you for existing.”

“Hmm.” Putting a slice of pie onto a plate and sliding it towards you, Toriel sat. “Many would say the opposite.”

“Well many would be wrong,” you said briskly. Grabbing a fork, you took a bite. Flavour exploded in your mouth, and you felt yourself let out a little groan. Frisk giggled. “Toriel… oh my God, this pie is incredible!”

She smiled, resting her chin on her hand. “Very old family recipe. Always goes down well.”

As you chewed, you noticed a light fizzing sensation on your tongue, much like the one the monster candy had left the night before. Thankfully, the pie wasn’t vanishing quicker than you were eating it, but it confused you a little.

Toriel caught your expression and laughed. “Its human food imbued with healing magic at a later stage of cooking. Unlike monster food, which doesn’t really help with a human’s hunger, it both fills an empty stomach and restores health.”

“That’s… pretty amazing, actually,” you said, trying your hardest not to talk with your mouth full. It wasn’t your fault the pie was too damn good to leave alone. Frisk caught your eye.

{Coffee?}

You nodded, signing out [Thank you] with your right arm.

“And it seems you understand ASL,” Toriel murmured as Frisk busied themselves making you a cup.

“Mmhmm,” you mumbled, swallowing another mouthful. “Actually, that’s all thanks to you two.”

Toriel’s arm dropped. Frisk spun back around, eyes wide.

“Whatever do you mean, child?”

“Well…” you paused, unsure where to start. The focus on you was getting a little uncomfortable. “I was nineteen when the barrier broke. At the time, I had no future plans and was working in some run-down diner halfway across the country from here. I just remember seeing Frisk on the news, trying to explain everything. And you were translating best you could, but…” You trailed off. They knew what happened next. Nobody believed what Toriel had been saying, there were no translators on hand, and before they knew it, Frisk had been taken away by the government and the monsters were quarantined. It had taken far longer than it should have to get someone proficient down there, and by then, the damage had already been done.

You remembered people talking as you took their orders, saying horrible things about what could have happened to cause the child to become mute. Rumours still persisted to this day, despite everything having worked out politically.

Frisk set down a mug in front of you, and you shot them a sympathetic glance before taking a sip. The story was much harder for them to hear than for you to tell, you realised that.

“After everything, I thought back. What if there _had_ been a translator on site? It could have spared an awful lot of grief on both sides and things may have been resolved much quicker. And I guess I found what I wanted to be. I started looking at what requirements you needed to become a translator, saw that Ebott delivered a course I liked the look of and now here I am. Final year English major with proficiency in ASL.” You found yourself sinking back into the chair, eyes downcast. “It’s not very glamorous, but I…”

Your voice trailed off at the sound of sniffles. Glancing up, you saw Toriel’s eyes had filled with tears. Frisk was staring at you with a blank expression.

“Umm,” you started to say something, but suddenly you found Frisk’s arms wrapped tightly around your shoulders. They were shaking heavily. Stunned, you returned the gesture, lightly patting them on their back.

Toriel began to bawl.

“You are truly a wonderful person,” she wept, putting her paws over her eyes.

“Umm… thanks?” you said. This only seemed to make her cry harder.

Just as you were starting to feel _really_ awkward, there was a quiet pop behind you, and you jumped as a deep voice spoke.

“err, d’you want me to come back later?” Sans asked, a note of concern in his tone.

“Umm, I think now’s fine,” you replied, still patting Frisk’s back. “A little warning next time would be nice though. You nearly made me jump out of my skin.”

“can’t relate.”

The change in the atmosphere was palatable. The teenager immediately released you with a look of comic disgust, turning to stick their tongue out at Sans before hopping up onto the countertop once more. Toriel hiccupped as a laugh bubbled up through her tears. She produced a large handkerchief from a pocket and dabbed at the fur beneath her eyes.

“Well Sans, would you care for a slice now we’re no longer preoccu _pie_ d?” You almost choked on your coffee. Somehow, the queen joining in on your punnery the night before had slipped your mind.

“b’scotch and cinnamon? don’t mind if _pie_ do.” Frisk wailed as Sans pulled out a chair, taking the slice Toriel offered. But it wasn’t over just yet. You couldn’t resist making one final joke at their expense.

“I don’t know what you’re upset about, Frisk. The puns have certainly _groan_ on me.”

You watched their face change, moving each stage from confusion to pure revulsion before they angrily signed {Goodbye!}. Hopping down, they dashed out of the room, and a few seconds later, you heard a door slam.

“ _tibia_ honest with ya, frisk went off puns a little while ago,” Sans said conspiratorially. “either they’re spending too much time with my brother, or they’re just a bit _bone tired_ of them.”

You laughed, returning to your pie. _Today feels like a good day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOoooohhh my God, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the buzz this fic has had! It's really helped drive me, and hopefully chapter 4 will be up later today!  
> Side note, what colour do you think Reader's soul is? I already know, but it would be nice to see what you think! o(｀ω´*)o


	4. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again:  
> [] You in ASL  
> {} Frisk in ASL

Morning quickly turned into afternoon, the conversation around the table flowing easily. Toriel had made sure to tell Sans exactly why the waterworks had been running when he’d arrived. He’d smirked and patted you on the shoulder, claiming you had a “good soul.” You hadn’t asked him what he meant, a little too nervous to find out. You knew souls were important to monsters and delving into another topic that could make things uncomfortably emotional again was not something you wanted right now.

Sans told you he was studying towards a PhD in Theoretical Physics. You were a little confused for a moment, wondering how he’d managed to clear a degree in the few months monsters had been allowed to attend university, but Toriel cleared that up.

“The board made an exception,” she’d said proudly. “Sans has a remarkable understanding of quantum mechanics and particle physics and was able to take all the papers relevant to a bachelor’s degree in only a few weeks!”

“toriii, you’re making it sound way more impressive than it actually was.” He flushed bright blue. You’d come to realise that was his equivalent of a blush, and frankly it was adorable.

He’d explained how science was the basis to his magic, and that without a healthy understanding of the principles behind it, teleportation and gravity alteration would be extremely dangerous.

“s’all about respecting the natural flow of energy. i mean, i am a skeleton, but i sure as hell don’t wanna end up _inside_ someone if i teleport to the wrong place.” The look on your face must have been one of abject horror, because he quickly backtracked. “n-not like that’s ever happened before! and it ain’t starting now!”

You decided to believe him. After all, Sans didn’t really strike you as reckless. He came across as many things: smart, caring, cute… Not cute. Definitely not cute. You wrestled with your thoughts a little on that one, before deciding it was probably fine to think he was. You were quickly becoming friends after all, and friends can compliment each other.

Not like you’d ever say it to his face.

There was only one thing troubling your mind, and that was that you couldn’t seem to find your ID anywhere. You’d checked your pockets and bag, but it just wasn’t there. You had a sneaking suspicion that it had fallen out of your pocket in the lift and vowed to speak to campus security about it as soon as you got a chance.

Eventually, Sans stood up. “probably should get you home if ya wanna apply for an extension on your paper before its due.”

You groaned. “I’d completely forgotten about that. Guess I better.”

Before you could get out of the chair, Frisk bounded over, a piece of paper in their outstretched hand.

{My phone number.}

“Oh stars, I’d forgotten,” Toriel dashed to the hallway, coming back a few seconds later with a sleek purple card which she pushed into your hand. “Mine to, should you ever want to bother an old woman again for some pie and a chat.”

You felt genuinely touched. “Thanks guys!” Taking both numbers, you slid them into your wallet. “I’ll be sure to add you both the second I get home.”

Frisk dived in for another hug, and you patted their head affectionately. You finally had people you could call friends here, and it felt… nice. Really nice actually.

Eventually, they let go, pushing you closer to Sans who took your hand.

“your flat is near campus?” You nodded, trying to ignore how nice his phalanges felt against your skin.

“Just past the Humanities buildings.”

Feeling a light blush begin to descend, you tried to look anywhere but at him in the hopes of it dying down. You failed miserably, as the last thing you saw before popping out of Toriel’s kitchen was Frisk’s smug grin and the briefest quirk of their hands saying:

{I see that.}

Suddenly, you were bathed in daylight. Lo and behold, you were right outside the Humanities buildings. A couple of very hungover students lounged on the steps, and they jumped as you cracked into existence. Shooting an apologetic smirk at them, you spun to face Sans.

“That is literally the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

He snorted. “i dunno, it’s pretty warm out today kiddo.”

“Ouch, icy reception.” You winced. Then you realised you were still holding hands.

It seemed to dawn on you both at the same time, slow realisation giving way to a hint of embarrassment.

“oh, err… sorry, you probably want that back.” Loosening his grip, Sans took a small step away from you, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“… thanks.” You internally cursed. _Smooth, ___. Real smooth._ As if to make up for it, you blurted out: “Wanna walk me up?”

“sure,” he replied, and you began to move in the direction of your flat.

Silence descended. It wasn’t far to your block, but the uncomfortable quiet stretched on, making it seem much longer. You kept your gaze trained on the distance, but every so often sneaked a glance at the skeleton. He seemed distracted, eyes darting this way and that without a word. Maybe he just felt awkward and didn’t know what to do. It didn’t really seem that way though. You shrugged it off.

When you arrived at the door, you buzzed yourself in and tentatively held it open. You weren’t sure if Sans actually wanted to come up or not and didn’t want to make things weirder by asking. Thankfully, he just walked straight through and you breathed a quiet sigh of relief. You had a little more time to get things back to normal before he left.

Nodding at the security guard, you headed for the stairs.

“Hope you don’t mind. I’ve kind of had enough of elevators for the moment.” You kept your tone light, hoping he’d follow your example.

“understandable. but it depends what floor you’re on.” A glint of mischief shimmered in his eyes, and you smiled.

“Only the first.”

“bit of a stretch, kid,” he muttered. “dunno if these old bones can take it.”

You laughed. “Actually, how old are you?” you said as the two of you began the ascent.

He paused. “dunno. kinda lost track after a while. why, how old’re you?”

“24.” His answer had surprised you, but it was obviously something he didn’t want to talk about. You related somewhat. “I started this course late.”

“hey, no shame in it. you’re here now, and that’s what counts.”

“I guess.”

Reaching your floor, the two of you walked along the corridor until you stood outside your door.

“Well, this is me. Thanks for walking me up.”

“no problem,” Sans replied. You didn’t really know what to say, and apparently neither did he. Shifting your feet a little, you suddenly felt nervous.

“Thank you for-,”

“d’you want-,”

You both tried to speak at the same time, words dying in your mouth before you could get them out properly.

Sans chuckled. “alright, you first.”

“I… just wanted to say thanks for saving me yesterday. I don’t think I actually remembered to tell you.”

“you weren’t exactly in the right state of mind. it’s fine, kid.”

“No, it’s not,” you blurted out. Seeing his stunned expression, you took a deep breath before continuing. “I haven’t relied on someone in a very long time, and that’s been both good and bad. I don’t ask anyone for help. But last night I asked you, and you actually-,”

“like i said, it’s fine.” Resting a hand on your shoulder, Sans grinned. “i’m sure there’s a _skele_ -ton of people who’d do the same.”

You snorted. “Hey, that’s my line!”

“never said it wasn’t a good one. and…” he withdrew his hand, shoving it into his pocket to retrieve a crumpled-up piece of lined paper. “tori and frisk gave you their numbers. i wanted to give ya mine. y’know, in case ya wanted a friend on campus.”

A warm feeling bloomed in your chest. Taking it from him, you smiled. “Thank you. We’ll have to meet up sometime for-,”

You were interrupted by a loud crash. Sans immediately grabbed your arm, pulling you behind him.

That’s when you realised the sound had come from your apartment.

“stay back,” he growled before moving forwards and trying the door handle.

It was unlocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting to the meat of this story! I wonder what's going to be waiting in your apartment...?  
> Also don't expect updates this regularly in the future! I'm a student with serious procrastination issues and a paper due on Friday!


	5. The Firm Fin of the Law

Silently easing the door open, Sans crept inside. You weren’t far behind him, sticking flush against the wall as you moved. Sneaking your way to the living room, you were concentrating so hard on not making a sound that didn’t notice he’d stopped until you bumped into his back.

You knew you had to be quiet, but there was no holding back the small gasp that found its way out.

Your flat was trashed.

Curtains hung in tatters, the fabric slashed and frayed. Your couch was upturned but you had no doubt that was wrecked too due to the stuffing that lay on literally everything. Downy feathers from your cushions still floated in the air. It was recent. Too recent.

And that was when you saw the person sized hole in your window.

“wait here,” Sans murmured, before silently moving across the room, checking each corner, making certain they were gone.

You didn’t know where to look. This was your home and seeing it in this state left you feeling violated. You’d lived here for almost four years, a sixth of your entire life… Taking a step to the side, something rustled under your feet. It was a piece of paper, ripped from one of your textbooks. Behind it… you sank to your knees, picking up a handful of shredded literature.

All of your books. All of them. A hysterical sob erupted from your lips. Eyes pricking uncomfortably, you ran your hand over the smashed bookshelf, nails scraping the broken wood. A flash of white caught your eye, and you let out a low moan.

Because jammed into the wooden frame was your ID.

You didn’t hear Sans coming up behind you and jumped when he touched your shoulder. But you couldn’t bring yourself to look away from the card.

“there’s no one here anymore.”

“I…” you swallowed. “I lost my ID in the lift yesterday.”

There was a sharp intake of breath, followed by a curse. He sank to his knees next to you. After a short pause, he murmured: “it’s gonna be ok.”

 _How can he say that?_ Your life lay in tatters around you, all your possessions destroyed beyond repair, how would everything be ok? _It’s not his house that’s been ruined, yet here he is pretending everything’s going to be fine._

You finally looked at him, tears spilling over and down your cheeks. “How?” Sans’ face darkened. He pulled you into a fierce hug. You went willingly, feeling hot tears soak his shirt as you cried into his chest.

“i’m calling a friend,” he growled.

*

You were pretty sure you’d cried yourself out. Sans had taken you into the corridor, away from the carnage. Knocking on a neighbour’s door, he’d asked them to tell building management that there’d been a break in and that the police would be there shortly. Then, he’d made two phone calls, one to the police, and one to someone who’s name you didn’t catch. He’d told them both the same thing; that somebody had destroyed your apartment and left seconds before you’d arrived.

After hanging up the second call, he turned to you again and wordlessly shrugged out of his hoodie. You hadn’t noticed how hard you’d been shaking until he wrapped it around your shoulders. Following it with an arm, Sans pulled you into a hug, gently rocking you as the last of your sniffles subsided. He was warm, and you clung on unwilling to let go. Although it seemed like he didn’t want to release you either.

He’d still held you when the police arrived. They’d wanted a statement then and there, but the furious look he’d shot them had the two uniformed officers backing off. At least for now.

You glanced up at Sans. For once, it didn’t feel like he was grinning. Actually, his mouth was set in a pained grimace and the dual pinpricks of light in his sockets were dimmer than you’d ever seen them.

He was furious.

He’d been angry yesterday, but for the most part he hadn’t shown it. Not like this.

You were trying to think of something to say to alleviate the tension when the door to the stairwell swung open, smashing into the wall.

“ALRIGHT YOU PUNKS, WHAT’S THE SITUATION?”

You did a double take. A fish monster stood in the doorway, glaring at the officers who had paused in cordoning off the area to stare on in absolute horror. She was tall, so tall the top of her flaming red hair grazed the frame as she stepped forwards.

“D-detective Undyne!” One of the men whimpered. “We didn’t know y-you’d be taking this case.”

“I got a tip,” she growled, pausing to flash a toothy grin at Sans. “Sup, bone boy.” He nodded, and seemingly satisfied, she returned her attention to the duo. “Carr and Edwards, isn’t it?”

“Yes Detective!”

“Hmm,” Undyne moved forwards to survey the mess inside. “You’ve obviously been here longer than me… so WHY. ISN’T. THERE. A. CORDON?”

“On it right now, Detective!”

“Please don’t noogie us again!”

“Do your jobs right and I won’t have to.” Smirking, she pulled away, coming to sit on the floor next to you. “Kids. They never learn.”

Sans grunted. “nice to see you’re keeping them in line.”

Catching your eye, Undyne raised a brow. “You’ve gotta be ___ then. Man, Papyrus wouldn’t shut up about the chick that’s got Sans leaving the house before midday on his day off!”

The skeleton spluttered. Sneaking a quick peek in his direction, you noticed a light blush start to form.

“Papyrus?” you asked.

“my brother.” Sans managed eventually.

“Yeah! Cuz this guy is such a lazy bones it normally takes-,”

“undyne, can we stick to why i called?”

She immediately switched tone. “Gotcha. Ya mind filling me in?”

So you talked. You told her about the attack yesterday, how you’d been ripping down a poster and assaulted for it. How Sans had taken you to Toriel to recuperate and how your apartment had stood empty until now. Your missing ID turning up after you were certain it had fallen out of your pocket in the struggle. The deliberate placement of it on your bookcase.

It took a few attempts to get some of the details out, but Undyne listened attentively beginning to end. Once you were done, she sighed.

“Shit. This is not good.”

“does it fit the m.o.?” Sans had been quiet the whole time, and his sudden words startled you. _M.O.?_

“Yeah. Unfortunately. I just wanna know how they got hold of your card in the first place. The punk who attacked you should be in a holding cell. I’m gonna have to screen the fucking security guards.” Undyne folded her arms, a scowl showing almost every jagged tooth in her mouth. “Every time I think I’ve got them backed into a corner, something else happens and it’s just… GRAAHHH!”

“What? Got who backed into a corner?” You felt your stomach turn, afraid of what she was going to say next.

Sans ran a hand down his face. Pausing tentatively, he spoke. “undyne… is the lead on a case trying to take down the terrorist group ‘humanity’s defence’.”

“Yeah,” she huffed. “And for some reason, you’re now a target.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda had to post this chapter even if it was a bit short. Some serious shit is going down now, but all is not as it seems.  
> Aaaand now I've gotta force myself to sleep because I've been waaay too into this and forgot.


	6. Why Do I Trust You?

“W-what?!” you shrieked. _Terrorists._ The thought was a knife, twisting white-hot pain through your gut. “But… Humanity’s Defence… I thought they were just-,”

“Some stupid kids with too much time on their hands?” Undyne huffed, pulling her fingers through her hair in frustration. “Cuz that’s what I thought until last week. I’m gonna be real with you, punk. I’ve had more missing monsters cases land on my desk than I can count recently. They _should_ have been unrelated, but each one had their home broken into shortly before they vanished. I’ve made arrests, and this was the second time I thought we were done, but… This case should be shut. _I_ thought it was shut.”

“Why don’t more people know about this?”

“Hah!” She barked a short laugh. “Well, most humans, or at least most human media channels, couldn’t give a flying fuck about monsters. Besides, it’s not like bodies are turning up.”

“we turn to dust when we die,” Sans murmured quietly. You felt a pang of anguish at his words, the bleakness of the situation filling you with dread. _There’s no proof._

“Buuuut…” Undyne smirked. “You’re their first human target. Which means I’m gonna get a lot more support solving it all of a sudden.”

“That’s…” _horrible._ “So all of a sudden, my life matters more?”

Pulling a face, Undyne winced. “I ain’t gonna think of it that way, despite the media pushing that agenda. It’s gross, but at this point I’d do anything to solve the case. At any rate, you need to watch your back. When this starts getting political – and it will – whoever’s done this is gonna realise their mistake. I’m just hoping I can wrap this up before then. For your sake.”

Something about Undyne’s tone sent shivers down your spine. You nodded.

“Guess I’m going hotel hunting then.”

Sans’ eyes widened. “whoa, kid. there’s genuinely nobody here you can stay with?”

Feeling a little insulted, you bristled. “Nope, but I can take care of myself. I’ll be fine.”

“kid, i don’t know how to tell ya this, but they figured out where ya lived from an id card. if they can do that, finding what hotel you’re in won’t be any more difficult. and they won’t come unprepared.”

You crossed your arms. “Good. I won’t be unprepared either.” Undyne’s eyes darted back and forth between the two of you as Sans sighed.

“you don’t understand-,”

“No, you don’t understand.” You’d had enough. “I can tell you’re trying to be nice and not say it, but you’re thinking I’m weak, aren’t you?”

“that’s not what i-,”

“Look Sans, you helped me out last night and I appreciate it, but I was tired and not expecting a fight. I’m perfectly capable of handling myself.”

“kid, c’mon. you know i wasn’t saying that.” Rolling your eyes, you fixed your gaze on a patch of the wall. “hey, stayin’ with someone isn’t gonna kill ya. there are always gonna be times when you’re not ready. it’s not a competition.”

“Sans is right.” You flinched. Undyne sounded serious. “It doesn’t matter how much self-defence you know. These guys have taken out monsters, and we have _magic._ It’s too risky to be alone. For any of us.”

“I… hadn’t thought of it that way.” Now that you did however, you felt a little ashamed. It was a perfectly reasonable request, considering the circumstances, and you’d reacted badly. “Sorry, Sans.”

“s’fine. no harm done.”

“So,” you took a deep breath. “What do you want me to do?”

Undyne looked thoughtful. “Would be best if you stayed with a monster. We can provide a bit more protection that most. Could be for a while though.”

“would tori be able to-,”

“Nuh-uh.” Undyne shook her head. “Three targets under one roof? That’s just inviting trouble. Plus, she and Frisk move around too much. I’m already stretching resources thin guarding them as it is.”

There was a pause. You weren’t sure if you felt comfortable staying with someone you didn’t know and were about to say as much when Sans blurted out: “then my place. we have a spare room, either me or papyrus will be in at any time, and you can still attend class if we take shortcuts to and from campus.”

Undyne thought for a moment. “That just might work,” she said finally.

“A…ah.” You were such a hypocrite. You didn’t _know_ Sans, definitely not well enough to stay with him and his brother – who you hadn’t even met yet – for the foreseeable future. But something it your gut said you could trust him, and you were inclined to believe it.

“if ya want to, of course,” he said quickly, noticing your hesitation.

The ball was well and truly in your court. “I… guess that would be ok. So long as you’ve got enough room.”

Undyne snorted. “His house is fucking huge. You’ll have more than enough space.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” you trailed off.

“m’ sure paps would be delighted to have a guest. and you’re not a bad kid.”

_How do you know that?_ Part of you was unconvinced that he’d already made an accurate judgement, but you stuffed it down, turning your mind to more practical matters. “I’m guessing I’m not going to be able to take any clothes with me, if there are even any left,” you said sadly.

“Evidence now, sorry. But I’ll see what I can do.” Patting you on the back, Undyne stood up. “I’ve gotta get to work, but it was nice meeting ya, punk. Just wish it was under different circumstances.”

You smiled weakly. “Likewise.”

She waved at Sans “See ya, bone boy. And if I hear talk of any… _funny business_ from Papyrus, I’m gonna drive straight over and _break_ that smile of yours. Capiche?”

He narrowed his eyes. “what’s that supposed to mean?” But Undyne was already walking away, ducking under the newly-erected cordon and into your apartment.

She was implying something. You weren’t that dense. Despite everything, it lit a little spark in your chest, and no matter what you told yourself, it wouldn’t die down.

Eventually, Sans spoke.

“g’nna have to face the music sooner or later. c’mon, let’s go.”

“What do you mean?” you asked as the two of you clambered to your feet.

“oh, uhh…” he scratched the back of his skull tentatively. “s’ just papyrus can be a little… enthusiastic towards new people. especially if i bring them over.”

You shrugged. “So long as I get some time to settle in alone it’ll be fine. It’s been a rough day after all.”

“hey, don’t get me wrong, paps might be a little hyperactive, but he’s still a really cool dude. he knows when to back off.”

“Okay.” The way Sans spoke about his brother almost made you laugh. His tone changed completely, falling nothing short of adoration. It was obvious he cared a great deal. Taking Sans’ hand, you quirked a brow. “One question though; older or younger?”

He snorted. “you tell me.”

The dull hallway was suddenly no more.

This time, Sans released you immediately, the loss of contact somewhat… jarring.

“home sweet home,” he mumbled.

It was, just as Undyne had said, fucking huge. You were standing in a well-lit entrance room, a curved staircase winding its way up on your right to a balcony that overlooked the door. Whereas Toriel’s house had been nice, this was a whole other level.

“What the fuck, Sans?!” you were in awe.

He winced. “yeah, i know. it’s-,”

“-a literal mansion.”

“i was gonna say pretentious, but that too. not like i had a choice in the matter.” He sighed. “look, there’s two things you gotta know about my brother. one, his spaghetti is actually pretty good, despite what frisk says, and two-,”

“SANS, IS THAT YOU?” a voice said. Well, ‘said’ probably wasn’t the right word. It boomed.

“yeah, paps.”

There was a loud clatter coming from behind one of the doors, shortly followed by another shout. “WELL GET IN HERE, LAZYBONES! THAT ANNOYING DOG GOT IN HERE AGAIN AND IS TRYING TO MAKE OFF WITH MY FEMUR!”

Sans took a deep breath. It looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh.

He was failing.

“-and two, he’s engaged to the most influential monster in the world.” Without another word, he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked at a leisurely pace through the door the noise was coming from. You followed a few steps behind.

You weren’t really sure what you’d expected Sans’ brother to be like, but you were certain that even in your wildest dreams, you could never have dreamt up the monster behind that door.

He was tall, that was for sure. A lot taller than Sans who was about the same height as you. He was wearing some kind of armour that vaguely reminded you of an anime character. He even had a cape for crying out loud! Over the top of everything, he wore a pink apron with the slogan “Make Every Moment Absolutely Beautiful”. It was vaguely familiar, but you weren’t really concentrating on that.

There was a small, white Pomeranian chewing on his thigh. Papyrus appeared to be atempting to shake it off, but the dog wasn’t budging. Sans was trying to get a hold of himself enough to help, but his shoulders were shuddering so hard you suspected he wouldn’t be able to for at least a little while yet.

And somehow, despite everything, it was just enough to send a quiet giggle through you.

Papyrus’ eyes widened as he took you in. He immediately stopped trying to remove the dog and took a step forwards, extending a hand.

“ARE YOU ___? SANS TOLD ME ALL ABOUT MEETING YOU YESTERDAY! I MUST ADMIT, I DID NOT KNOW YOU WOULD BE COMING HERE TODAY, OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE CLEANED UP!”

“yeah,” Sans choked out. “the house is looking a bit _ruff_.”

“SANS!” Papyrus yelled. “I’M SURE THE HUMAN DOESN’T WANT TO HEAR YOUR TERRIBLE PUNS!”

You couldn’t resist. “I’m not in a _paw_ sition to comment.”

Papyrus lost it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Papyrus... Well, he's not that unlucky. I mean I'd accept a mansion as an engagement gift....


	7. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

It took a little while catch the dog and release it outside, and even longer to calm Papyrus down enough to tell him the situation, although as soon as he realised Sans wasn’t joking around anymore, he quieted immediately. Pulling out a chair, he offered you a seat at the kitchen table, which you took gladly. The other two sat, and Sans began his explanation.

“soooo, paps you remember when i told you about the humans who don’t like us very much?”

Papyrus looked thoughtful. “YES. YOU SAID THAT NOT EVERYONE IS AS RESPECTABLE AS US AND I SHOULDN’T TRUST PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE THEY SEEM NICE.” His eyes suddenly widened. Turning to look at you, he groaned: “WAS THIS A TEST? HAVE I FAILED BECAUSE I SPOKE TO ___?”

“no, paps.” You smiled. He was far too pure for this world. “___ is gonna be staying here for a while because a group of those humans want to hurt her, and she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“IS IT BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU SAID HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?” Papyrus asked.

“Yeah.” You wondered how much Sans had told him. “Somebody found out where I lived and broke in. It’s not really safe for me to be there at the moment.”

“THAT IS NOT GOOD.” There was a pause, no one knowing quite what to say until the taller skeleton shot up out of his chair. “BUT NEVER FEAR, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL NOT LET ANY HARM BEFALL YOU DURING YOUR STAY HERE!” Somehow, an intangible breeze was causing his cape (… or scarf…?) to flutter as he struck a heroic pose. It was pretty funny, but the sentiments behind his words were more meaningful than humour right now.

“Thank you. Both of you.”

Sans shrugged. “hey, what are friends for?”

 _Friends._ That was a heady concept. Something you hadn’t needed, or rather, hadn’t realised you needed for a ridiculously long time. And now as you sat in a kitchen the size of your apartment, in conversation with two skeletons you’d barely begun to know, it just felt… right.

 _Friends._ “We are friends, aren’t we?” you said, a grin slowly breaking out on your face. Sans just smiled.

A sudden gasp shocked you out of your thoughts. Turning, you saw Papyrus looked downright dejected.

“B-BUT… I HAVEN’T MADE MY SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI YET!”

You got up and attempted to pat him on the shoulder. Realising quite quickly there was no way you were going to be able to reach, you settled for his arm.

“That’s ok Papyrus, we’ve got plenty of time for that!”

“yeah bro,” Sans said, getting up to stand next to you. “in fact, why don’t you get started on it, and i’ll show ___ to the guest room.”

Papyrus brightened up immediately. “AN EXCELLENT IDEA SANS. I WILL BEGIN AT ONCE!” He dashed away, presumably to look for the ingredients, the faint sound of “NYEHEHEH!” lingering in the air.

“I’m surprised you managed to restrain yourself from making any more puns,” you told Sans once you were out in the hallway again.

“hey, there’s a time and a place, ok.” You caught the barest hint of blue flickering on his face. “… might have been thinking one over, but for one, i dunno if it works out loud. plus i think paps would riot.”

“Your brother doesn’t have an angry bone in his body,” you said, cringing when you realised the unintentional word play.

“you’d be surprised.” Sans lead you up the stairs, pausing at the landing. “but yeah, uh, thanks for not laughing at him.

It hurt a little that he’d even considered you might. “Why would I? Has that happened before?”

“yeah. worse than that, most humans get more than a little freaked out by us in general, considerin’ the whole ‘dead body’ vibe we give off. but paps… heh, he’s a little too cool for them.”

It hadn’t occurred to you before that some people would be put off by the brothers’ skeletal appearances, but the more you thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.

“Seriously? You guys look nothing like human skeletons.” They really didn’t. Sans was stockier, more rounded and cartoonish looking, and Papyrus? He was just downright goofy.

“i mean we’re not _actual_ skeletons, just skeleton-shaped monsters. but try telling that to the kid that screamed at papyrus when he smiled at them the other day, or their mother who rushed to the opposite side of the street. it’s all appearances, kid.”

“That’s wrong on so many levels.” You scowled. Surely if people just thought about it, understood them a little more they could at least try to be openminded.

“heh, people aren’t gonna change overnight.” Obviously not wanting to elaborate further, Sans turned, motioning to the first of six doors which lined the wall. “that’s the bathroom. next door is pap’s room, then those two both lead to my lab.”

“You have a lab in your house?”

He shrugged. “why not? s’ convenient. i wouldn’t drop by unannounced though, got some dangerous stuff back there.”

You took his word for it. “And the last two doors?”

“the one next to the lab is mine. you’re right on the end.” Sans started to walk towards it, and you followed. “there should be some clean towels in there, and i’ll try and find you something to wear. m’ assuming you don’t wanna go back to class tomorrow, so there’s a bit of time to sort that out.”

You nodded, suddenly realising you’d had the same clothes on for two days now. Despite the fact you suspected Toriel had cleaned them whilst you slept, something felt wrong about it.

And you were still wearing Sans’ hoodie.

You shrugged out of it as you reached the door, not really feeling the same chill you had earlier anymore. “You might want this back.”

“was wondering when you’d remember.” He winked, accepting the bundle of cloth. “s’ fine though, looks better on you than me.”

“Hey, it suits you,” you replied, feeling a tiny bubble of happiness at the compliment.

“sure.” It felt like he was mentally rolling his eyes at you. “anyway, I’ll let ya have a minute to yourself. dinner should be ready in a bit, so just come down when ya feel like it.”

“Thank you,” you said quietly. “It means a lot.”

“don’t sweat it, kid.”

He vanished. A brief moment later, you heard a crash and Papyrus screaming “SANS!”. It made you grin. This was turning out to be a very good decision.

Opening the door, you saw that the décor in here was much homelier than the rest of the house. Whereas downstairs was beautifully elegant, this room felt comforting. The white walls contrasted against a gorgeous red plush carpet, and a dresser made of what looked like real wood stood by the window. It was a far cry from the Ikea atrocity that you’d bought for your own flat.

 _Which is probably gone now_ , you reminded yourself. Sighing, you pushed that thought to the back of your mind. _Better dealt with later._ Taking a seat on the bed, you took a second to breathe.

You hadn’t had a moment alone to just think since the morning, and even then, you’d been rushing, barely able to take in exactly what had happened.

But now you did, it made you wish you’d stayed downstairs a little longer. Every detail hit you at once, making your head swim in a rapidly ballooning sensation of dejection.

“Not _now,_ ” you growled through clenched teeth. You’d have plenty of time to sink into those thoughts later, but before then you had to eat and the thought of breaking down again in front of Sans worried you.

Reaching into your jeans pocket for your phone, you frowned when your hand met paper. You pulled it out, creased brow dissolving when you realised what it was. _Sans’ number._ It reminded you of the two that lay in your wallet, and the fact that Toriel probably didn’t know what had happened yet.

Collecting all three numbers together, you added them to your phone’s contacts. You shot Toriel and Frisk quick messages saying your name, that your house had been ransacked and that you’d be staying with the brothers for a bit.

Frisk was quick to reply, their message full of weird emojis and genuine concern. You replied that you were fine, but a little shaken up. Toriel’s text came through a little after that. She asked if the incident was related to your attack, and you responded that you believed so and Undyne was on the case. She seemed satisfied with that response.

On a whim, instead of sending Sans a brief text to give him your number, you typed out:

**You:**

-What’s your favourite drink?

 

Pulling your charger from your bag, you thanked yourself for bringing it to the library yesterday. You felt a buzz as you plugged it in and checked your messages. Sure enough, Sans had replied.

 

**Sans:**

-ketchup.

-y?

 

You almost forgot the joke. Grinning, you shook your head as you shot back a response.

 

**You:**

-Funny, would have thought it’d be milk. Y’know, strong bones and all that.

-Ketchup though?

 

You barely had to wait.

 

**Sans:**

-hey, dnt knock it til u’v tried it.

-tho i mustard say i'll relish our next meeting if ur still in a punny mood.

 

You smiled. The puns were becoming a welcome distraction from your thoughts, and it seemed Sans wasn’t letting up anytime soon.

 

**You:**

-5 mins, just told Toriel what happened.

 

**Sans:**

-good. i kinda forgot.

 

Your phone buzzed with another incoming text from Frisk, which the second you saw it made you regret giving them your number.

 

**Frisk:**

-have fun with uncle sans, but not too much fun ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

You decided not to reply, instead leaving your phone on charge as you went down for dinner. You had a feeling Frisk was never going to let you live down your blush from that morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had an assignment due so this got postponed a bit, and ngl this isn't my favourite chapter... that one's probably coming out tomorrow... (ʃƪ¬‿¬)


	8. Attack of a Fabulous Robot

_They were coming closer, closing in all around you. You didn’t need to see their faces to realise who they were, what they represented. All you knew was the fear and despair that followed._

_Someone grabbed your arm, and you spun around, ready to fight. Your stomach dropped when you realised who it was._

_“RUN!” Papyrus yelled, the sound muffled as if you were underwater. You felt your limbs begin to move, dragging you further and further away. You didn’t want to go. Didn’t want to leave him to face them alone._

_But when you turned around again, there was only dust in the wind._

_A scream wrenched its way from your chest, the sound of this world finally normal just in time to hear His voice._

_“it’s your fault. he’s dead because of you.”_

_You didn’t face him. You couldn’t. It was all your fault. When the air went eerily silent, and that familiar icy chill speared you to the spot, all you could do was choke out one last sob._

_“ **y o u  d i r t y  b r o t h e r  k i l l e r.** ”_

To be completely honest, you’d had better nights of sleep. The tears had only just begun to form on your eyelashes when you violently shot out of bed. Grabbing the towels from atop the dresser, you marched swiftly across the landing to the bathroom. As soon as you’d locked the door and yanked your borrowed shirt over your head, you turned the shower on full blast and finally let loose.

Sans’ room was next to yours, and despite having seen the sunlight streaming in through your curtains, you were taking no chances. He was _not_ going to hear this.

You sat against the wall, bawling your eyes out as the shower masked all noise. It was a technique you’d learnt when still living with your parents, after all, no one questioned puffy eyes after a shower, and there was always time to fix that with a cool washcloth. And crying in the shower wasn’t as draining or gross as it would otherwise be; the water reinvigorating you in a sense. It was remarkably cathartic.

So you wept. You cried about the attack, the fear flowing through you as you genuinely thought you might die. The break-in. Your possessions; either destroyed or police evidence now. Your inability to accept help when you so sorely needed it.

The dreams came back, hitting you just as hard the second-time round. _Papyrus is ok,_ you reminded yourself. _He’s probably downstairs, doing something endearing._ And Sans didn’t want to kill you.

You shuddered. His voice, dripping with venom had been the catalyst that finally woke you up and whilst you were thankful it did, you still couldn’t get those words out of your head.

Instead, you turned your mind to more pleasant topics. That despite your reluctance to ask, someone had stepped in and helped you. You’d met the queen and the ambassador of monsterkind and had both of their numbers saved in your phone. You had _friends._ Papyrus had commemorated the event with an extra-special plate of spaghetti and as soon as you’d let him know that no, humans can’t digest confetti, it was by all accounts pretty good.

The memory made a silly little giggle emerge as a hiccup. Your tears were slowing now, and you pulled yourself off the floor to begin washing. You noticed there was a decent array of toiletries crammed onto the glass shelf. On closer inspection, you found shampoo and conditioner. It struck you as a little odd, until you remembered there had been clean towels ready in the guest room when you’d arrived. _They must have guests fairly regularly,_ you thought, uncapping a bottle. The scent of peaches filled the air as you worked your hair into a lather. It was good, name-brand stuff, and you sighed in contentment as you let your troubles follow the suds down the drain.

Eventually, your rumbling stomach got the better of you, and you had to get out. You regretted it immediately, hissing as your feet touched cold tile. Drying off as quick as you could, you pulled the oversized shirt Sans had procured for you back on to reluctantly trudge to your room and get changed for real.

On your way over, you heard subdued voices talking downstairs. They were too quiet for you to understand completely, but you heard an unknown voice saying your name, and what sounded like Papyrus occasionally agreeing with them.

Once you’d got changed, you made sure to make a little more noise than normal on the stairs. It wouldn’t be polite to walk in on someone else’s conversation, especially in their own home.

"GOOD MORNING, ___!” Papyrus said as you opened the kitchen door. “I HOPE YOUR SLEEP WAS MORE THAN SATISFACTORY!”

“Uhhh…” You were stunned. Truly stunned.

“AH YES, ALLOW ME TO HAVE THE PLEASURE OF INTRODUCING YOU TO MY FIANCÉ, METTATON!”

“Oh!” you squeaked.

Of course you’d heard of Mettaton. He was _the_ most famous monster ever, regularly appearing in human movies as well as his own. You’d heard rumours he was even considering Broadway.

A literal God of the screen was currently stood not two metres away, wearing a bright pink crop top and coquettishly chewing on the end of his sunglasses’ frames.

“Oh, hello darling!” He pocketed them, moving to rest his chin on one hand. “Papy, you didn’t tell me she was soo gorgeous!”

Suddenly everything made sense. The ridiculous house. Papyrus’ apron. Sans’ mysterious words about the engagement.

“You’re engaged to METTATON?!” you all but shrieked. The robot chuckled, but the second the words left your mouth, Papyrus sighed. If literal heart-eyes were a thing, Papyrus had them bad.

“I KNOW, AND I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE IT MYSELF! HE IS TRULY JUST AS GREAT AS ME!”

“Together, we’re an unstoppable power couple,” Mettaton mused, extending a hand to you. Still dazed, you shook it. “Well, it seems you already know me, but I’m here to know _you_ , darling.”

“W-what do you mean?” you asked.

“SANS MENTIONED YOU HAVE NO CLOTHES. I WAS VERY CONCERNED THAT YOU WOULD CATCH A COLD, BUT HE EXPLAINED THAT YOU DID HAVE ONE OUTFIT AND THAT THE REST WERE DESTROYED. SO, I ASKED METTATON IF WE COULD GO SHOPPING TOGETHER ON OUR DATE DAY!”

“Aww, Papyrus you didn’t have to do that.” You smiled warmly. “And Mettaton, thank you, but you really didn’t have to give up what must be a rare free day in your busy schedule just to help me pick out clothes.”

He eyed you intensively. “Oh honey, yes I did.”

You felt a little insulted, but Mettaton’s sense of style was indeed far more fashionable than your own. “Well I’m sorry my clothes are lacking, but I wasn’t really anticipating spending three days in an outfit I wore to the library.”

A sly smile stretched over Mettaton’s face. “Darling, when I’m done with you, even that won’t be enough to stop you looking your best. But we’d better hurry, I _do_ want to spend at least some of my day with my darling Papy!” The tall skeleton blushed, raising his hands to his face with a soft “NYEH!”.

“That’s fine, although I probably should eat something first. Do you have any cereal?” Papyrus managed to pull himself together long enough to get a box from the cupboard. You recognised the brand.

“SANS MADE SURE WE HAD SOME TEMMIE FLAKES IN BEFORE HE LEFT THIS MORNING. I BELIEVE IT IS SUFFICIENT SUSTENANCE FOR HUMANS, ALTHOUGH FOR A MONSTER WITH SUCH HIGH STANDARDS AS MYSELF, I FIND IT LACKING.”

You chuckled. “I love Temmie Flakes. I’ll have to thank Sans later.”

As you began to scarf down the less-than nutritious breakfast, you overheard Mettaton whispering to Papyrus.

“It’s rather… unusual for your brother to be this proactive.”

Papyrus was not as quiet. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS CONVERSATION HAS TO DO WITH YOGHURT, BUT SPEAKING OF SANS, HE HAS NOT BEEN AS LAZY AS NORMAL RECENTLY.”

It wasn’t nice to eavesdrop, even if the person you were listening in on was making no effort to stop themselves being overheard. You ate the remainder of your breakfast as quick as you could, and soon you were ready to go. There was only one problem.

“Err, do you think it’s safe to be walking around town with a celebrity if people are on the lookout for me?” you asked.

Mettaton lightly slapped his forehead. “Oh, forgive me, I had forgotten. Papy, give her the hat!”

Papyrus unceremoniously dumped a black baseball cap on top of your hair. You were about to point out that as much as this hid your own identity, next to the robot you’d be in the spotlight no matter what when a loud hissing noise startled you. Glancing at Mettaton, you watched in horror as he just… folded in on himself. His arms and legs retracted into his body, which was puffing out, becoming squarer and sturdy. Even his paint began to change, fading from bright pink and black to a dull grey, until all that stood before you was a beige box, not unlike an old computer terminal, balanced on a single wheel. He was still wearing the pink crop top, now stretched tightly around his form. A compartment popped open on his side. Pulling something out, he placed it on his face(?) which lit up in reds and yellows.

It was a fake moustache.

“ **Now darling, are you ready to go?** ” Even his voice had changed, becoming more metallic and robotic.

“Uhhh, what the _fuck?_ ”

“ **Yes, I realise this form is not as fabulous as my normal body, although needs must.** ”

“DON’T WORRY, METTATON,” Papyrus said, looping an arm around the rectangle. “I STILL THINK YOUR ELECTRICAL OUTPUT IS BEYOND EFFICIENT.”

His lights all lit up red. “ **Oh Papy, you do know how to make me feel better!** ”

You snorted. It was too cute. “But what’s with the moustache?”

“ **Why, so most monsters don’t recognise me, of course,** ” he said like it was blatantly obvious. “ **They have seen this form before. But the moustache…** ”

*

You really didn’t understand what was going on. Not a single person, monster or human, had spared your group so much as a glance since you’d left the house. Mettaton had hailed a taxi, and the three of you bundled in. He’d given the driver some instructions, and then sat back, snuggling into Papyrus’ side. He’d asked you some questions about your style, what you felt comfortable wearing. You hadn’t really thought of yourself having a set fashion before now, but as you listed off the many graphic tees and plaid hoodies you’d owned, you realised you did, and it was a little stale.

Eventually, the cab pulled up outside a high-end department store, and Mettaton ushered you out. As he paid for the ride, you realised there wasn’t a cheaper shop in sight.

“I really don’t think I can afford any of this stuff,” you mumbled as the taxi drove off.

Mettaton laughed. “ **You were never going to be paying in the first place, darling.** ”

“Wait, what?” You stood stunned for a moment before it clicked. “No. You really can’t be serious. This is too much.”

“ **Yes, yes and no, darling. I have more money than I’ll ever use in a lifetime, and what use is money if you don’t spend it?** ”

“B-but-.”

“ **No buts!** ” He cut you off, curling an arm around your shoulders. “ **A friend of Papy’s is a friend of mine, and I always make sure my friends get the treatment they deserve. Besides, this place isn’t even that expensive.** ”

Pushing you through the door before you could protest any more, the duo dragged you to the front desk. A bored looking cat monster was playing with one of the displays, however she brightened up the second she saw Mettaton.

“MTT! Like, it’s been soooo long! How’ve you been!”

“ **Oh, just amazing Catty darling! Busy preparing for the wedding of the century, but I presume you know that…?** ”

“Totes already RSVP’d!” She laughed. “So, like, what are you doing here in disguise?”

Mettaton pushed you forwards. “ **Oh, it’s dreadful! ___ here’s home was ransacked, and she has no clothes left!** ”

Catty leaned forwards, staring at you with big unblinking yellow eyes. “So, did you, like, get these threads from Goodwill or something?”

“ **Apparently not,** ” Mettaton sighed, not giving you time to answer. “ **But we are going to have to build her a new wardrobe from scratch!** ”

“Oh. My God.” Eyes wide, Catty jumped off her chair. “That’s, like, the coolest! Just let me get Bratty, and we can get started. I’m, like, sooo hyped!”

You had a sinking feeling it was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter waaaaaay too much! Also, Catty is the most fun character to write and I could just hear everything in her voice. I hope you had fun reading it!  
> Also, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 100 LIKES!!!!! I have never had this much success with a fic and I'm ridiculously happy right now!


	9. Whispers of a Forgotten Past

Bratty, as it turned out, was a tall monster resembling an alligator. She strutted out onto the shop floor to greet you, eyes widening when she took in Mettaton.

“Yo, MTT. Like, cool moustache.”

He posed, somehow still exuding grace from the box. “ **Why, thank you darling! But today isn’t about me…** ”

“Totally.” Her face spit into a grin. “Well, like, where d’you want to start?”

“ **Hmm… let’s try dresses first!** ”

You had no choice in the matter and were swept away by what was quickly becoming a growing entourage. Before long, you were trailing behind Mettaton as he pulled dress after dress from the racks, tossing them to either Catty or Bratty.

“ **Oh, this is magnificent!** ” He said, throwing a little red number that looked embarrassingly short over. “ **You are going to look absolutely fabulous!** ” You didn’t doubt it, but the growing piles of clothes seemed a little excessive. Before too long, you couldn’t see who was behind each stack.

“ **That should be enough for now. Let’s see how they look!** ” He pulled you towards the dressing room at the back of the shop and had Bratty and Catty put the piles on a chair. Directing Papyrus onto the chaise longue next to it, he looked at you expectantly.

“ **Well, go on then darling. Take any one you fancy and put it on!** ”

A little cautiously, you picked up an innocent looking blue dress from the top of the stack and disappeared into the cubicle. The moment you got a proper look at it however, you realised it was not as innocuous as you initially thought.

“Mettaton, there’s no way I can wear this!” you groaned.

“ **Believe in yourself, honey!** ” was the only reply. Sighing, you slipped off your t-shirt and jeans, and pulled on the dress.

It wasn’t _that_ bad, you thought as you looked in the mirror. The dress stopped mid-thigh, flaring out a little as it passed your hips. The problem lay in the top. You opened the door, stepping out to show the others.

“ **Oh my, that looks wonderful!** ” Mettaton swooned. Papyrus caught him.

“I AGREE, HUMAN! IT LOOKS MOST SPECTACULAR!”

“Like totes amazeballs!” chorused Bratty and Catty.

“I… don’t know about the neckline.” It was a little low for your tastes, showing off slightly too much skin to be entirely appropriate.

“ **It does look fabulous on you,** ” Mettaton mused. “ **But… if you are at all uncomfortable, we’ll skip that one. Looking good means you have to feel good, and darling you don’t look too happy in that.** ”

You sighed in relief. “Thanks, Mettaton.” Grabbing another from the pile, you noticed it was the red one from earlier. You almost put it back, but at the last minute decided not to. After all, if it was too embarrassing you could just try it on, laugh and take it off again. It wasn’t like you were committing to it.

It turned out to be far too short, and everyone agreed. But you did grin when Mettaton said it drew attention to your fantastic legs. From him, that was a massive compliment. The next dress was too baggy, the one after that too… extravagant. You caught the robot making a note to find the same one in his own size as you pushed feathers out of your face.

“ **Don’t worry, it often takes a little while to find _that_ dress,**” he said, seeing your dejected expression. Picking up another, he handed it to you. “ **Try this one next.** ”

Retreating to the cubicle again, you carefully took off the other dress, hanging it up with the rejects. “Fingers crossed for number five,” you murmured, undoing the buttons. It took a little fumbling to figure out how it was supposed to fit, but the second you saw your reflection, you knew you wanted this one. Stepping out to the others, you didn’t give them time to react.

“I love it,” you breathed. _It_ was a long, black dress with a flowing chiffon skirt that fell to the floor. It bunched a little, but you were certain that could be solved with a decent pair of heels. And it was backless.

“ **You are positively glowing,** ” Mettaton enthused. “ **We need heels, and a bag to match. Bratty, you’ve got an eye for that sort of thing.** ”

She immediately jumped up. “Like, right away, MTT!” She raced off as he turned back to you.

“ **Do you wear makeup?** ”

You nodded. “From time to time. But there’s no need to-,”

“ **Catty?** ” Eyeing you critically, she produced a notepad and began to write. There really was no point arguing at this point, Mettaton was intent on spoiling you. Before too long, she was finished too, trotting off to the makeup department to retrieve the items on her list.

“ **I want to see the dress with its accessories, then we can continue.** ”

“I can’t thank you enough,” you said. “This is all just so much.”

“ **You know, for a human you’re awfully humble.** ” He paused for a moment, glancing over to see Papyrus was occupied with his phone. “ **If I didn’t know how good a judge of character Sans is, I’d be a little suspicious. Most humans are more than eager to have things handed to them on a silver platter.** ”

The sudden seriousness of the conversation made you think hard about what to say next. “Don’t get me wrong, I love presents. It’s just stuff like this feels a little excessive, y’know? I didn’t earn any of this, and I certainly didn’t earn Papyrus or Sans’ friendship. It just feels a little weird, that’s all.”

“ **And you feel guilty because everyone seems to be going out of their way to help you.** ” He’d hit the nail on the head.

“I don’t want to be pitied. Sans has seen me at my worst, and he’s been really nice about everything, but it just feels like eventually it’s going to turn into pity, and I am more than that.”

The lights on his front lit up in a question mark. “ **Darling, we don’t pity you. Sans certainly doesn’t. You are the first human in a very long time who decided to help us. It might not seem like such a big deal, but your little stunt with the poster caused quite a stir.** ”

“How do you know about that?”

Mettaton chuckled. “ **Word travels fast in the monster community, and Frisk is _such_ a chatterbox.**”

You groaned. “It was just a poster! I’m sure most people would have done the same.”

“ **But most people didn’t. _You_ did. Darling, you got hurt helping us, and something tells me you’d do it again.**”

There was never a trace of doubt on your mind. “It was the right thing to do.”

“ **Ah. That’s why Sans likes you.** ” The reply was barely audible, but you caught it.

“What?”

Bratty chose that moment to reappear, a pair of cut out heels in one hand, and a black clutch in the other. Mettaton withdrew immediately to crow over how fantastic they looked, leaving you to your thoughts. You tried them on when requested, but barely heard the compliments.

_What the hell did that mean?_ you thought as you were dragged around the store again. _“It was the right thing to do.”_ How on earth did that explain why Sans was friends with you? other than painting you as a decent person, it didn’t really do that much else.

You barely took note of the clothes Mettaton was passing Bratty, but you did notice the choices were a little more in line with your preferences now he knew them. He even tossed in a couple of pairs of jeans, insisting that they would look much better than your current ones.

“ **No need to try them on,** ” he said once you’d exhausted the stock. “ **Everything will be perfect. Now darling, before we leave, is there anything else you want?** ”

You thought long and hard about that. “There wouldn’t happen to be somewhere I could buy a knife around here?” You didn’t miss the collective shudder all the monsters made at your words. It was as if you’d committed a huge social taboo. “You know what, forget it-,”

“NO, I UNDERSTAND.” Papyrus stepped forwards. “THE HUMAN DOES NOT HAVE MAGIC, AND IT WOULD NOT BE RIGHT FOR THEM TO REMAIN DEFENCELESS. I WILL TAKE THEM TO GET ONE.” You almost protested at being called defenceless, but it seemed like he was doing something extremely brave just by taking you.

“ **… Are you sure, Papy? I could come with you…** ” Papyrus smiled and pecked one of Mettaton’s panels with a dull clank.

“DON’T WORRY TONTON, I WILL BE FINE. WE WILL MEET YOU OUTSIDE IN A FEW MINUTES.”

You waved goodbye to Bratty and Catty (who’d just come back with your makeup) and headed out onto the street.

“Papyrus…” you said softly. “Why did everyone react like that?”

He sighed. “AS A HUMAN, YOU ARE UNAWARE OF SOME OF OUR MORE… UNUSUAL CUSTOMS. OUR SPECIES BELIEVE KNIVES ARE BAD LUCK.”

“But surely if it’s just superstition…”

“IT’S MORE OF A REACTION. WE JUST… DON’T LIKE KNIVES.” He shuddered again. You decided to drop it.

When you reached the shop, you told Papyrus he could wait outside. He seemed relieved, but covered it up with bravado, saying he’d “WATCH THE EXIT”.

The man at the counter regarded you with some trepidation when you described what you wanted, but after checking your ID, he pulled out a few options. You had some decent experience with knives, having taken a lot of self-defence classes when you’d moved to the city. Feeling more comfortable with a blade than a gun, you’d carried one for a little while, slowly forgetting it as you accustomed to your life here. But no longer.

You picked a matte black, partially-serrated lockblade. It wasn’t showy, instead easily concealable. You knew it was deadly nonetheless. Hopefully, you’d never have to use it, but it was better to have it and not regret.

After paying, you stepped outside to see Papyrus’ expression of worry immediately dissipate.

“I’M SURE METTATON IS DONE NOW.”

“Hopefully, then you two can finally have your date! I’ve taken up more than enough of your time.”

“NYEH! BUT IT HAS BEEN SO MUCH FUN TO SHOP WITH YOU. I KNOW TONTON HAD A GREAT TIME, AND IF HE’S HAPPY, I’M HAPPY.”

Grinning, you playfully punched his shoulder. “You two are so cute! Where did you guys mee-,”

“Keep looking like you’re having fun, there’s a man behind us that’s been following since we left the department store,” Papyrus whispered. You fought your reaction. The only sound that left your lips was a quiet squeak, and you forced yourself to grin through it.

“What are we going to do?” you asked under your breath. You didn’t dare look over your shoulder, trusting that Papyrus was keeping an eye on him.

“I texted Mettaton as soon as I noticed when I was waiting for you. He’ll be inside the store. I asked him to call Sans, so we can get out of here without anyone seeing where we’re headed.”

It was a good plan, and you nodded, taking Papyrus’ hand. Outwardly, it seemed like a friendly gesture, but frankly you clung to his bones like your life depended on it.

The walk back to the store felt far longer than it had before, but the second you passed through the doors, your worry alleviated. Mettaton was stood by the counter on his phone. He was leaning on what appeared to be a… _chainsaw??_ Was that even legal? Bratty and Catty were nearby, but both looked wary.

As you approached, you caught the end of a conversation.

“ **Yes, she’s here now… they’re both fine. Sans, wha-.** ” The line must have gone dead, because Mettaton put the phone away with a sigh. “ **Oh, thank goodness you’re alright!** ”

“Was that Sans?” you asked.

“ **Yes…** ” he paused. “ **I should probably warn you, he’s a bit-.** ” There was a sudden pop, signalling Sans’ arrival, and Mettaton immediately shut up.

“Sans,” you began, but your smile died when you saw his face.

He was furious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot woot, 2 chapters in under 12 hours! There might be another one later, but we'll see!  
> Soooo, Sans isn't happy... I wonder why??


	10. Daddy Issues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHO IS READY FOR THE ANGST TRAIN? I SURE AS HELL WASN'T (つд⊂)

“is this your idea of being safe?” Sans hissed at Papyrus. He strode over, hands set in his pockets. You could see that they trembled slightly through the fabric. The taller skeleton remained impassive.

“Whoa, whoa, what’s going on?” you replied. His eyes darted between the two of you for a moment.

“you went out,” he eventually growled.

Folding your arms across your chest, you drew yourself up to your full height. “Yeah, to buy clothes. Is there something wrong with that?”

Sans turned back to Papyrus. “she shouldn’t have left the house like that. you could have come out here to pick things up without putting yourselves in danger by bringing ___.”

It really wasn’t fair of him to go off like that. “Okay, back up a bit mister. I’m standing right here, drop all that ‘she’ bullshit. And don’t blame Papyrus for bringing me shopping.”

“yeah. well you should have known better as well,” he bit out, the words sounding forced.

Oh, you were angry now. “Yeah? What gives you the right to dictate what I should be doing with my spare time? I _was_ accompanied in case you didn’t notice!”

“and you were still followed.”

“It was just one guy!”

“yeah, _just one guy_ attacked you the other day. look how well you did then!”

You hissed. “Low blow, Sans. I’m armed now, and no one’s going to surprise me whilst I’m ready. I told you I can handle myself.”

He looked incredulously at you. “with what, papyrus and the overgrown calculator? They’re not _tools._ ”

Mettaton’s stuttered protest barely heard, you continued. “No, I bought a fucking knife. Happy now?”

As quiet as it was, you heard his sharp intake of breath. His left eye flared blue for a fraction of a second, before fading back to a pinprick of light.

“ **y o u  w h a t ?** ”

This was not the Sans you knew. This was not the Sans that had laughed over puns and teased his brother in the kitchen yesterday. This was not the Sans that had held you whilst you wept, promising everything would be alright.

This was not the Sans that you-

“SANS, SHE DOESN’T HAVE MAGIC, AND THOSE… _THINGS_ AREN’T A PROBLEM FOR HUMANS,” Papyrus interrupted. “___ IS NOT HELPLESS.”

“… she might as well be.”

That was _enough._ You were just about to tell him such, when he turned to stare at you, and suddenly…

You were in the guest room. Alone.

The fact that Sans had teleported you here by yourself, without even touching you briefly flickered through your mind, but your rage overwhelmed it immediately.

How _dare he!_ You were not a petulant child to be summoned to and from your room as he pleased. And without your consent too.

“Sans, you fucking _moron._ ” It was more of a scream than anything else, just pure, pent up emotion looking for a release. Looking for something non-destructible to take your anger out on, you grabbed a pillow and threw it across the room with a guttural cry. It bounced off the wall, lightly settling on the floor. It wasn’t enough.

Burying your face in the other, you muffled the yell as it tore from your chest. It was all just too much.

You jumped as there was another pop. Fury rising, you spun, fully expecting to see Sans. Instead, a dozen shopping bags lay scattered around the room.

He hadn’t even bothered to show his face.

Feeling hot, angry tears begin to brim in your eyes, you flopped down onto the bed, curling around the pillow in a fetal position.

You couldn’t leave without telling someone where you were going at least. You weren’t irresponsible. But you just felt so utterly sick and tired of everything.

“I thought we were supposed to be friends,” you mumbled against the pillow.

*

Hours passed, but it may as well have been days. You were utterly spent, dried tears leaving tracks down your cheeks. The anger had subsided, settling into a gently bubbling sea of unease in the pit of your stomach. It was still present, occasionally lurching to the point of re-emergence, but your heart was so raw it came out as tears.

You _hurt._

A gentle knock on the door had you burying your face further into the fabric.

“It’s me.” Papyrus spoke so softly you barely heard him, but the sadness in his tone only served to further pain you.

“I’m not exactly ok to talk right now, Paps,” you sniffled back.

“That is exactly why we have to. Can I come in?”

You sighed, sitting up. “Knock yourself out.” As soon as he’d opened the door, you noticed just how haggard he looked. Apparently, your appearance was just as bad however, as he didn’t try to contain the gasp that slipped through. Gently closing the door, he walked over to the bed, and enveloped you in a tight hug.

Despite his bony arms, he was warm. You couldn’t help making a comparison to the last skeleton that had hugged you…

“I am sorry ___. We did not mean to put you in harm’s way.”

You were stunned, pulling out of the hug almost immediately. “What are you talking about? _You_ have nothing to apologise for.”

“Yes, I do. We…” he took a deep breath. “We didn’t plan today well enough. We _should_ have been safer, teleported to the shop instead of going by taxi. I should have gone in to buy that knife with you. I should have at least told Sans where we were going. Anything could have happened.”

“But it _didn’t,_ ” you reminded him. “You dealt with everything very well, I’m just sorry that your brother was so mad at you.”

“So am I, but… I know he didn’t mean it. Sans has already apologised to both me and Mettaton.”

“ _Really?_ ” The little flare of rage that seeped into your voice was entirely unintentional.

“___, understand this. Sans knows he was wrong. He understands that he overreacted, and that sending you back here like that was-,”

“- _cruel?_ ” you responded. “Unnecessary? Because it sure as hell felt that way to me.”

Papyrus was silent for a moment. When he eventually spoke, it was with great sadness, and each word resonated like he’d been waiting to say this for a very long time.

“When we were underground, we lost our father. He was the previous royal scientist, a title that should have gone to Sans, but…”

“Oh, Paps,” you reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged, looking down.

“I do not remember that much about him, as I was only a baby bones when it happened. He created the CORE that powered our entire kingdom, but one day, whilst working on it… he had an accident. Sans was one of his lab assistants. He was there when it happened.”

You gulped. Papyrus glanced at you sadly. “Th-that’s terrible.”

“Sans couldn’t save him. Afterwards, he just gave up his position and raised me instead. It affected him more that he let anyone realise. I…” His voice became so quiet, you almost had to strain to hear him. “I don’t think he knows how much I hear, but he still has night terrors. That’s why his room is so far from mine. He doesn’t want me to know. But I’ve heard him waking up, screaming that we’re all dead.”

“Oh…” You didn’t know what to say. That was, until Papyrus looked at you, an orange tinted glow forming around his eyes.

“Sans doesn’t want to lose anyone else. That doesn’t mean what he did was any less wrong, but I don’t think he knows how to apologise to you.”

You were still processing everything he’d just told you when Papyrus stood up. “Dinner will be ready in a little while, but I can bring it up to you if you’d rather not come down.”

“No… that’s fine Paps. I’ll be down.” He nodded, and quietly slipped out, leaving you to your thoughts.

Things had gone on long enough. The hurt that Sans had caused you was inexcusable, but staying up here, avoiding confrontation was just plain childish. At least, now you knew a little more.

Catching a glimpse of your face in the mirror, you groaned. It was far worse than you thought, and frankly everything would have to wait until you’d cleaned yourself up a bit.

You dug around in a shopping bag, grabbing a light grey turtleneck and a matching skirt. Pulling them on, you mentally thanked Catty for picking out some concealer that miraculously matched your skin tone. After a quick visit to the bathroom to wash your face and apply it, you were finally ready to go downstairs.

The house was too quiet, not a single noise escaping from any of the other rooms. You wondered if Sans was even here. Hoping to find Papyrus in the kitchen, you headed there without hesitation.

The realisation it wasn’t him hovering over the stove was equal parts terrifying and saddening.

Sans had his back to you, but just from his posture, you could see how utterly defeated he was. His shoulders sagged as if they carried the weight of the world, and you affirmed that they probably did. His world. Everyone he cared about. He felt like he was responsible for far more than he should be. It broke your heart.

“paps, don’t you have somewhere better to be?” he said, voice devoid of emotion.

“It’s me.”

Sans tensed. When he spoke, the words were pained. “would’a thought you’d be gone by now. m’ sure mettaton has a spare room for you to stay in.”

You took a step forwards. “I-I’m not leaving. Unless you want me to.”

He finally turned around, and you saw how broken he looked. “i could never tell ya to go. i just… m’ so fuckin’ sorry.” His eyes began to take on the same hazy quality Papyrus’ had, only blue instead of orange. “i screwed up, big time. y-you hardly know me, an’ i’m here over-investing myself in your life like i own you or somethin’.”

“Sans…” you said softly.

“it’s just i really don’t want you to get hurt. i don’t want _anyone_ to get hurt, an’ if something had happened today, i-,”

“Sans!” It came out sharper than you’d meant, but it got his attention, snapping him out of rambling.

“… It’s ok,” you murmured.

His eyes went wide. “how the hell ‘re you forgiving me that easily. what i did was-,”

“Wrong and painful,” you interrupted. Sans looked at the floor, shame clouding his expression. “You really upset me, but more importantly, you upset Papyrus.” He cringed at your words but gave a minute nod. “He was only trying to help.”

“i-i know. an’ i accept full responsibility for what i did.”

You couldn’t take it anymore. Striding forwards, you wrapped your arms around him. He stiffened in response.

“And that’s why I’m forgiving you,” you murmured.

Feeling his shoulders begin to shake, you only tightened your hold, just standing there until finally his arms came up around you too.

“you should hate me.” His voice cracked. “i have no right bein’ this fuckin’ dumb.”

“You hurt yourself just as much as you hurt me. Just promise me you’ll never do it again.”

He choked, a harsh laugh trapped in his throat. “never.”

The two of you stood like that for a while, simply holding each other as you waited for his tears to subside. Eventually, he pulled back, wiping his face on his sleeve.

“We cool?” you asked.

“cool as my little bro.” He smirked. “who’s been watchin’ through the door for a while now.”

You heard a surprised “NYEH!” and the door quickly slammed shut behind you.

Laughing, you felt the previous tension lift almost immediately. “Well at least he knows things are ok between us again.”

Sans shrugged. “yeah.” He returned to the stove, and you saw that his posture had changed too.

“Sooooo… what’s for dinner? Gotta admit, I’m pretty hungry.”

“i, um. made a quiche. hopefully it’s not too _crummy_.”

Laughing, you took a seat at the kitchen table. “Come on Sans, that was just plain _cheesy._ ”

“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, _PLEASE START FIGHTING AGAIN!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am deeply sorry. This chapter dragged me to hell and back, and in the end I just gave it what it wanted. BUT DON'T WORRY, I PROMISE THINGS ARE GONNA GET BETTER!!!


	11. No Choice

“Why won’t these dreams leave me alone?” you moaned into your pillow. It was just gone 8am. You knew, because you’d been staring at the numbers on your phone ticking by for several hours now. Closing your dry eyes with a hiss, you felt your lids drag painfully on them. _God damn it._

You couldn’t remember what it had been this time. Something about sharp edges, an unnerving grin lingering just beyond your mental reach. It didn’t matter.

What did, was the fact that in the last 72 hours, you’d probably had a combined total of eight hours sleep. On top of the previous day's drama, it was beginning to be intolerable. You were starting to think it might be worth going to a doctor or picking up some sleeping pills, but frankly the idea didn’t appeal. Staying sharp was what you needed right now, not a medicated stupor.

You dragged yourself upright, wincing as the room spun a little.

“It’s fine. You’ve been sleep-deprived before, just get _up._ ” It was somewhat true, although as you stumbled to your feet, you couldn’t recall a time when it had felt this bad. And dear _God_ you looked terrible. Was that even you?

An unfamiliar version of yourself glared back out of the mirror, eyes bloodshot and red, hair wild. You shuddered. It was not a good look.

After dragging a brush through your tangled locks and slathering on some more concealer, you looked vaguely presentable. It was a shame about your eyes, though.

After pulling on a pair of jeans and a cute yellow shirt, you decided that the best course of action would be to go and get some coffee. You had no idea if either of the brothers drank the stuff, but somehow Sans struck you as the kind of person who would. Hoping there would be some leftover quiche in the fridge (it had been much better than expected), you headed down.

Papyrus was lounging on the sofa when you walked past the open living room door. He appeared to be chatting to Mettaton via video link, and you gave a small wave. It didn’t seem like either of them saw you, both enraptured by their conversation.

Despite your tired state, it made you smile. At least someone was having a good morning.

You felt a slight pang of disappointment when you realised Sans wasn’t in the kitchen. It wasn’t like you’d been hoping to see him, you just felt a little weird rooting through the cupboards in someone else’s house. Thankfully, you found some instant coffee in the same cupboard Papyrus had produced the Temmie Flakes from yesterday, and quickly got yourself a cup. Whilst you were waiting for the water to boil, you managed to procure a slice of the quiche too.

Before long, you were sitting at the table, mug in hand, simply inhaling the scent that curled from it. All things considered, it wasn’t too bad, but you were missing your Keurig. Closing your eyes, you sighed.

You really wanted your stuff back.

“… You look like shit, punk.”

You jumped, almost spilling coffee down your front. Undyne was leaning against the fridge, smirking slightly. The only thing that told you that this was indeed real, and not a figment of your sleep-deprived imagination, was Sans. He stood next to her, a mixture of concern and mirth playing on his face.

“W-when did you get here?” you mumbled, steadying yourself.

“‘bout a minute ago. you were just sitting there with your eyes shut.”

You groaned. “Bad night. Nowhere near awake yet. I’m assuming you’re here unofficially?” you said, gesturing at her casual outfit.

“Yes and no. Got a little stuff to go over with you, then I’m stealing Papyrus for the day. My duties as head of the Royal Guard didn’t let up just because we disbanded, and it’s training time!”

Sans took a seat opposite you. “nah, you just like hanging out with him too much to stop.”

“Do not!”

“do too.”

“Whatever,” she growled. “The fact that we’re besties doesn’t change training into just ‘hanging out’. We’re practicing. Exercising.”

“‘hanging out’ too?”

“Shut it, bone boy.”

Glad that their little spat was giving you some much needed time to wake up, you began to sip the coffee. You realised quite quickly that you must have been sitting there for a while, as the beverage was the right temperature to drink without burning.

After taking a long gulp, you began to eat, feeling like some sustenance would help give you energy.

Eventually, Undyne directed her words at you.

“We’ve gotta talk about your apartment.”

You knew it was coming, but the topic still made you instinctively tighten your grip on the mug. “I’m listening.”

“It’s not good. I don’t think anything’s gonna be salvageable, but as soon as we’re done with it, you can go thorough, see if there’s stuff you can save. We… haven’t found any useable evidence yet. Just so you know.” She looked at you cautiously, regarding you as if you’d fall apart with the news.

Sure, you weren’t happy but there was no point getting worked up over something you’d already suspected would happen. Instead, you took a deep breath, and slowly let it out again. “I see. Not much I can do about it then.”

“Actually… there is.” Undyne shifted uncomfortably. “Just so you know, I really didn’t want to have to ask you this, but the pressure from higher up to drop the case is getting worse, and I don’t want that to happen.”

“What?” You asked. She was beginning to scare you, her normal brash demeanour completely gone.

“I need you to go public tomorrow. Stuff not involving humans is being pushed to the back of my workload, and as much as I’m trying to stay on this case, unless something changes, I won’t be able to. My boss said I’m wasting resources chasing burglars and theories.”

“That’s awfully callous.”

“You’re tellin’ me,” she huffed. “Anyway, I have a contact at Ebott news, and I was going to ask… can you _please_ do an interview?”

You froze. “The TV station?”

“It wouldn’t have to be anything big,” Undyne assured you. “Just a ten-minute slot telling people what happened. Making them _believe._ I just need a little public pressure, something to force my boss to keep the case open. I’m out of other options.”

You felt a little conflicted. On the one hand, it was absolutely the right thing to do. Undyne needed your help, and you needed hers. On the other, Ebott had been a central focus of the world’s media for the last few years, and the thought of all those people staring at you was more than a little unnerving.

Then again, the alternative was unthinkable.

“I’ll do it.”

Undyne’s relief was palpable. “Thanks punk. I’ll try to make it as painless as possible, give you an escort, that kinda thing.” Pulling out her phone, she began to dial. “Gotta make a call, then I’ll be out of your way.” She stepped into the corridor, shutting the door behind her.

The silence in the kitchen was only punctuated by the occasional soft murmur of distant conversation.

“for the record,” Sans eventually said. “i had no idea she was going to ask you to do that.”

You sighed. “It’s fine. I can do this.”

“you sure?” He raised a bony arch above one eye. “i’m not trying to talk you out of it or anything, it just seemed like you were considerin’ it for a while there.”

“You’re awfully perceptive today, huh?” You rubbed the back of your neck, trying to massage out a sore spot. “I’m not sure how convincing I’ll be. I mean, I’m super tired at the moment and my sleep is not getting any better. I keep having these dreams, and they’re stopping me from getting any proper rest. It’s stupid, I know, but it just puts me on edge.”

“nah, i get it. you’ve been through a lot recently, and it’s almost to be expected that you’ve walked away with some kind of trauma.”

It was an awfully introspective statement, and thinking about what Papyrus had told you yesterday, an extremely mature view. Suddenly, you didn’t feel so dumb anymore.

Seeing the realisation dawning in your eyes, Sans chuckled. “hey, whaddya say we goof off today, watch movies or something? m’ sure i can find some high-quality junk food somewhere.”

“Don’t you have class?” _Don’t I have class? Wait, what time is it?_ Checking your phone, you saw lectures had begun some time ago, but considering how you were feeling, you knew you wouldn’t take anything in even if you showed. Sans on the other hand…

“my supervisor rarely sees me anyway.”

You grinned. “You’ll never get a PhD with that attitude.”

“hey, i’m already a renowned physicist. lemme catch a break here.”

“Well, if you _insist,_ ” you said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

“i most certainly do.”

And that was how you ended up an hour later. The other two had left for whatever ‘training’ activities entailed, and now you were perched on the sofa, shredding your way through a bowl of popcorn as Sans flicked through the channels. He eventually settled on a cooking show where four contestants were currently locked in some kind of bidding war over a bundle of leaves. You watched as the prices got higher, until eventually all but one folded. The winning contestant gave the leaves to the person standing next to them, a smug grin on his face.

“man, paps and undyne love this show,” Sans chuckled.

“Really? Wouldn’t have thought it was Undyne’s thing.” Seconds later, somebody broke out a flaming torch, and began to cook a chicken on it. “Oh wait, I changed my mind. This is very much her thing.”

“did’ja know she taught paps how to cook?”

“No way.” You regarded him intently to see if he was joking. Sans smirked.

“yeah, although they may have burnt down her house a few times in the process.”

“… continue?”

You forgot the TV was even on after Sans launched into the story, explaining how his brother had desperately wanted to be a member of the royal guard. Recounting how he’d panicked because Papyrus hadn’t come home one night, only for him to show up the next morning covered in twigs and saying he’d been having a ‘surprise sleepover’ (it was only a surprise for Undyne) outside her house had you howling with laughter. He’d been so enthusiastic that in the end, she’d offered him training so maybe one day he could join. Fighting turned into a strange brand of cooking, mostly involving excessive fire and violence, which Papyrus absolutely loved.

“though he’s improved so much since we came to the surface. m’ pretty sure it’s because of all the daytime tv he watches now.” Sans took a handful of popcorn. “that and the fact that he actually knows what pasta is supposed to taste like.”

Drifting a little closer during his story so you could both reach the snacks, you didn’t notice when your shoulders brushed together. Sans’ voice was so nice and comforting, and you were just so tired.

A little yawn slipped out. “I guess that explains why Frisk is a bit weird about his cooking.”

“yeah, they were unfortunate enough to try his friendship spaghetti in its first form. you were lucky he _asked_ if you wanted confetti.”

You chuckled, eyes heavy. Sans had been right. This was exactly what you’d needed today.

You were only going to shut your eyes for a second. Just a moment to get your energy back.

That turned out not to be the case, and you quickly succumbed to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After yesterday's chapter, this one was just a little filler and setup for the ones to come. I'm almost a third of the way through this fic, and I just wanted to thank everyone who's read it, liked or commented. You've helped me stay motivated, even through less interesting chapters like this, knowing there's something better to come.  
> So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.


	12. The Interview Part 1

“How’re you doing, punk?”

Honestly, you thought you were going to be sick.

You were sat at the brothers’ table trying really hard to eat a bowl of cereal, but it seemed even that was too much right now. After your impromptu nap the day before, Sans had gently nudged you awake with the news that the team on ‘Good Morning Ebott’ had accepted the pitch and invited you to do a live interview at 11am, right before they finished shooting.

It was fine in theory. You’d written a script, practiced with Undyne to make sure the facts lined up with her press report. She’d wanted to hold back Toriel’s involvement, simply saying you received medical attention for a mild concussion. When you asked why, she’d laughed and said the queen’s presence might cause some people to doubt the authenticity of the story. Thinking about it, you realised she was right. The literal queen providing medical assistance would sound farfetched to anyone who hadn’t met her.

That morning, after a slightly better night of sleep, you’d woken up ready, albeit a little nervous. But as the minutes ticked by, nerves were beginning to get the better of you.

“Not great, but I’ll be fine. Promise.”

Undyne’s voice was soft as she patted your white-knuckled hand. “Hey, you will be. You’ve got guts, kid.”

“UNDYNE IS RIGHT, HUMAN,” Papyrus said as he put a glass of water in front of you. “YOU ARE VERY BRAVE, AND I AM CERTAIN YOU WILL COME OUT VICTORIOUS IN THIS BATTLE OF WORDS!”

“It’s not a debate Paps, but thank you. I’ll do my best.” You smiled weakly as you took a sip.

There was a sharp bang from the hallway and you very nearly dropped the glass. Undyne sprung to her feet, a blue spear materialising in her hand as she growled. Papyrus moved to stand between you and the door.

“What the-,” your words were cut off by said door swinging open and bouncing off the wall. That was sure to leave a mark.

A familiar voice rang out, and suddenly you weren’t sure whether to be relieved or even more terrified.

“Oh darling, I came as soon as I heard!”

Undyne relaxed, her spear disintegrating as she cursed. “Shit dude, d’you _ever_ call ahead? I could have hurt you.”

Pausing only to peck Papyrus on the cheek, Mettaton rounded the table to peer at you over his sunglasses. He was wearing a bright red fur coat that came down to his calves with a leather bodysuit underneath. Somehow, despite the early hour, he still exuded glamour.

Sans ambled in at a leisurely pace. “i tried to tell him to slow down, but he insisted 'fashion doesn’t wait'.”

“It doesn’t.” Mettaton glowered at him. “And neither do I. Come on darling, we haven’t got long!”

You were confused as hell. “For what?”

“Your clothes already look fantastic, but hair, makeup…” striking a pose, he smirked. “Tips from a lifelong pro in the industry!”

It seemed like he was waiting for your approval. You shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt.”

Mettaton clapped his hands together excitedly. “Oh, you will be amazing! Although I do suggest the rest of you leave, the preshow experience can be rather… _intense_.”

“Hey, wait a second, are you sayin’ we’re not tough enough?” Undyne shrieked, stepping forwards threateningly. Papyrus was too quick for her, tossing her over his shoulder and making for the living room.

“HAVE FUN YOU TWO!” He called amidst a cacophony of expletives.

Mettaton spun around to face Sans who still hovered in the doorway. “Sans, be a dear and get my bag from the hall?”

“y’mean the toolkit?”

An odd look came over Mettaton’s face. “Yes. That’s the one.”

What had you gotten yourself into?

The ‘toolkit’ turned out to be far less intimidating than it sounded, and after Sans teleported it onto the table (and Mettaton chewed him out for being too lazy to pick it up) he left you two to it.

“Hmm…” Taking a step back, the robot stared at you critically before laying his glasses down on the countertop. “I have a good idea of what you need.” Pulling a brush and some curling tongs out, he began work on your hair. “So darling, you’re obviously nervous. Talk to me.”

“I-it’s just there’s going to be so many people watching. I think I’m a bit scared of messing up in front of them.”

“Do you have problems with public speaking?”

You thought back to high school. Every time a group presentation had come up, you’d shrink to the back, writing scripts but not really delivering them. “I guess. Didn’t actually think it was this bad, but then again the last time I made a speech was to a class of fifteen-year-olds.”

Mettaton smiled kindly. “It’s been an awfully long time since I was in your shoes. I think the last time I felt that anxious was the day of my debut before the king.”

“You don’t really strike me as the kind of person to struggle with nerves.”

“You’d be surprised.” He stopped talking, concentrating on curling soft waves into your hair before moving on to your face. It seemed he was using less product than you’d expected, but you trusted his judgement.

“I’m not going to tell you everything will be fine,” Mettaton suddenly murmured, shocking you out of your thoughts. “It’s not a thing you need to hear. There will be problems. You might stutter or freeze or get questions you weren’t expecting. That’s all normal. Even the nicest interviewer wants to sell an angle, and you’re fighting a corner that doesn’t get much representation as it is. Close your eyes for me.”

You did as directed, although still a little stunned. Why was he telling you this?

Mettaton chuckled. “Don’t frown, you’ll get lines in the foundation. The point is that things happen, and you can’t pretend they won’t. But you _can_ adapt to your situation. If you can’t think of an answer, ask a question back. Dislike the spin someone’s putting on your words? Redirect it. Just remember who’s behind you and speak from the heart, because if you believe in what you’re selling, the rest of the world will too.”

“That’s certainly one way to look at it.” In truth, you were surprised that he’d put so much thought into this. “I didn’t know there was a technique.”

“Oh honey, you don’t think I walked out of the underground and straight into international fame, do you? I dealt with interview after interview where people asked all sorts of disgusting questions about my ‘functions’. It took an awful lot of self-control not to annihilate them where they stood. You can open your eyes again.”

“How did you even cope?” You asked as he loaded a brush with lipstick.

“Well…” A slow smirk worked its way over his face. “I asked the first interviewer what _his_ functions were. The viewers ate it up, and after that the questions became more… delicate. As soon as they realised I had talent, I became more of a spectacle. People asking me to dance, sing, so forth. So, I did, but only if they played nice. They quickly learnt. Things became a little more complicated as my fame spread overseas, but I dealt with that.”

You sat still as he swept the brush over your lips a few times. A quick spritz of setting spray, and you were done. Handing you a mirror, Mettaton took a step back to admire his work.

“…Wow.” You had no words. Hair fell in loose waves around your face, effortlessly natural and refined. Your foundation was flawless, a perfect nude lipstick giving of a very professional vibe.

But what drew you in was your eyes. Sharp, winged eyeliner, not too much, just enough to blend with the gorgeous dark eyeshadow he’d applied.

“It’s casual but striking. Enough to command attention on the screen. Everyone will be looking at _you_ , darling.”

Tearing your eyes away from the mirror, you felt a little flutter of nerves re-emerge. “But what if I’m too scared to talk.”

Mettaton paused, lost in thought. “Well, when I’m scared, I just imagine that someone I care about is there with me. Not being alone helps more than you realise.”

“I’ll remember that.” You smiled. “Thank you, Mettaton.”

“No, thank _you_ , darling. Now, I suppose we should tell the others we’re ready. Undyne is not one to wait.”

“Are you coming to the studio too?”

“Well I didn’t wear my interviewer-scaring coat for nothing, did I!”

You had no idea what to make of that statement but letting out a little snort of laughter as you left the kitchen, it felt as if the worst of your worries had died down.

Undyne was pacing backwards and forwards when you finally entered the living room.

“Finally,” she muttered before grinning widely. “Woah, you look great punk!”

Mettaton flipped his hair proudly. “I did a fine job, if I do say so myself. But ___ is naturally gorgeous anyway, just enhancing her features went a long way.”

Nodding, Undyne headed for the door. “I’m gonna check if the escort is ready to go, and then we can get a move on.”

“Oh shoot! I left my sunglasses in the kitchen. Papy, be a dear and help me find them.” Mettaton held out his hand for the skeleton who took it eagerly. You’d seen him put them down on the counter, and you were about to say so when he caught your eye with a meaningful glance.

_Ah._

So, he just wanted some alone time with his fiancé before being crammed in a car to the venue. You smiled as they left the room. It was cute.

There was a small cough, and you turned to see Sans lounging on the sofa, a lazy grin stretching ear to ear.

“hey, i wanna know something.”

“What?”

“are you from tennessee?”

You groaned, a smile of your own breaking out. “Sans, _no._ ”

“sans, _yes_. do you happen to have an inhaler, because you’re taking my breath away.”

“Can skeletons even be asthmatic?” You giggled. It seemed to only egg him on however as the jokes only got worse until finally…

“do you have 11 protons? because you’re sodium fine.”

That was it. You broke into peals of laughter, trying your absolute best not to mess up the makeup. “Oh my God, that one was terrible!”

“yeah, i’ll admit that one was bad. need to work on more science themed ones,” he snickered.

Hearing Undyne shout from the hallway, you were about to head out when an interesting thought crept its way into your head.

“Hey Sans?” you called as he stood up.

“what?”

“Are you a carbon sample? Because I would totally date you.” His splutter was audible, and you threw him a sly smirk. “You can dish it out, but you can’t take it!” You turned to walk away, when suddenly…

You couldn’t move your legs.

Turning back to Sans, you saw his face was flushed blue, but there was a dark look in his eyes that made you shiver. It wasn’t unpleasant.

“oh, you want to play that way?” he almost purred. “careful kid. you might get more than you bargained for.”

You couldn’t breathe.

“COME ON PUNKS, WE’RE GONNA BE LATE!”

The moment was gone immediately. Sans strolled past you with a chuckle and a wave, and you were left standing in the living room with a stunned look on your face, and butterflies in your stomach.

_What was that?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heheheheh, what a start to a two part chapter! Part two comes out tomorrow, and I am dying to know what you think!  
> Side note, I based Mettaton's outfit on an outfit Rihanna wore in 2014. It just really seemed like something he'd wear XD


	13. The Interview Part 2

It seemed Undyne had been serious about the escort. Two police cars had sat outside with her tinted SUV sandwiched between them. You could see four officers, two in each car, watching as you approached. Hopefully, you wouldn’t need them.

Papyrus waved you over. “HUMAN! THE MIDDLE SEAT IS YOURS! I AM DISSAPOINTED THAT I COULD NOT RIDE IN THE FRONT, BUT I AM GLAD TO SHARE THE BACKSEAT WITH YOU AND MY BROTHER!”

“What’s stopping you from riding shotgun?” you asked, regretting it immediately as the passenger window wound down.

A familiar leg in a high heeled bootie stuck out. “I need the space for these, darling!”

“I should have known,” you smirked, sliding into the central seat.

And coming face to face with Sans.

“heya,” he said mischievously. It finally clicked. The middle seat, in between Papyrus and his brother. The brother who had just ignited something very strange in your chest that you weren’t sure what to make of yet.

_oh, you want to play that way?_

Great, now even your thoughts sounded like him.

“TONTON, I THINK YOU PUT TOO MUCH BLUSH ON ___. SHE’S GONE VERY RED.”

“N-no, it’s fine, I’m just feeling a little… flustered, that’s all. Can you turn on the air-con please?” Sans snorted, twisting to look out the window. You could see his grin reflected in the glass.

Mettaton glanced back at you and tutted. “Now that won’t do.” Folding his legs, he hit the cold air switch on the centre console with a pointed heel. It was a hell of a skill to bend that way, but it was just such a Mettaton thing to do that you barely took heed. Besides, you were far too busy _not_ trying to think of the skeleton who sat scant inches from you.

He was kidding, right? He had to be. You’d been messing around, simply returning a cheesy line of your own to throw him off balance. He’d only matched your teasing. So why were you getting this worked up?

_careful, kid. you might get more than you bargained for._

Oh, you were fucked.

It took all of your energy to remain calm for the relatively short journey to the studio. Every so often, the SUV would drive over a pothole, and you’d jostle against his arm, becoming hyperaware of where exactly the two of you were touching in the process. By the time you’d arrived, you were certain that Mettaton was rolling his eyes at you behind the sunglasses. How he’d seen anything, you had no idea, but he chuckled from behind his hand as you all but fell out of the car when you arrived.

“you ok?” Sans said, a genuine note of concern in his voice.

“Never better!” It came out a little squeaky, and you righted yourself as quick as possible, vowing to think about all this once the interview was over.

It didn’t take much incentive to cool off once you were through the doors however. The second you signed in and were handed an ID lanyard that read ‘GUEST’, something in you changed. By the time you had sat down in the green room, your nerves made a reappearance.

And the minutes ticked down.

Half an hour to fifteen, fifteen to ten.

Mettaton drifted over to touch up your makeup, and you read through the script one last time before ten turned into five, and an intern came to fetch you.

You were so lost in thought, you didn’t notice when Papyrus touched your shoulder, although you heard his words.

“I BELIEVE IN YOU, ___.”

Looking up, you saw everyone was smiling at you.

“You’ve got this, punk!” Undyne yelled, ignoring the insistent shushing of the intern.

“Remember to breathe.” Mettaton was much quieter, although his smile was just as genuine.

Sans shot you a quick grin, but as you turned to go, you heard him murmur: “knock ‘em dead, kid.”

*

“So, our next guest is a bit unusual, folks!” The interviewer seemed pretty into their bit, warming up the audience as you stood off to the side, waiting for your cue. His name was Perry Davis, and you had some vague recollection of seeing him on TV before now. He was chubby, the kind of friendly face you’d expect to see in this role. “This young lady has been through an awful lot in the past few days. She was attacked in an elevator at her university for removing a poster, and had her home broken into the next day. She’s here to talk about local crime, and the future for Ebott, so please give it up for ___ ____!”

The applause of the studio audience began, and you plastered a smile onto your face as you stepped forwards into the light. Perry stood up to shake your hand, offering you a seat opposite him. You tried your best to seem genuine, but you could see your fingers start to tremble. It really did feel like the world was watching, and as the noise died down, you found yourself staring at the decorative coffee table between you.

“So, ___, why don’t you tell us your story?” Perry said, casually crossing his legs.

Oh God, you looked so awkward.

_Sell it._

You heard the words in Mettaton’s voice, strong and clear above all the white noise in your brain. A beacon of sense, calling you towards some kind of realisation.

And that’s when it hit you.

Slowly raising your eyes to meet Perry’s gaze, you blinked once. Twice.

“I understand this is going to be quite difficult for some listeners to hear. It’s very hard for me to talk about, but I feel like I have to. My attacker – who is now safely behind bars – was hanging up posters to protest the ever-growing monster community in our world. All I did was take one down.” Aaaand there it was. You let a single, fat tear roll down your cheek, hopefully collecting makeup on its way. The whispers were far louder this time, and you wicked away the moisture with a sense of satisfaction.

“I heard you had some injuries?” the host pressed.

“I suffered a concussion and some minor bruising. It would have been far worse, but thankfully another student stepped in and saved me from any further harm.”

“That’s a relief at least.” Something twinkled in Perry’s eye, and you had a sudden feeling of unease.

“I’m very thankful to him.” You replied warmly. There were a few scattered awwws, and you felt your face flush, this time not trying to hide it. “I spent the night at a friend’s house, but the next morning he escorted me back to my apartment, and I’m very glad he did, because by the time we arrived, someone had broken in. Everything I owned was destroyed.” You were amping things up a bit for the camera, but most of the sadness you felt was real. Looking back down at the coffee table, you waited. It was his move.

“I don’t think many people would be as brave as you’re being right now. It is such an unfortunate _coincidence_ that you had to go through all of this in the space of a few days.” What had previously sounded like a pleasant voice was slowly losing its charm. It was a dare. He was daring you to speak.

_Believe in yourself._

You steeled yourself before looking him square in the eye. “Unfortunate yes, but coincidence it was not. I lost my ID the night of the attack, and it miraculously appeared again in my apartment. The police have come to the conclusion that this matches the pattern of a series of hate crimes committed against monsters over the last few months. All of which have ended in suspected homicide.”

A collective gasp reverberated through the room. Only Perry remained unphased. He folded his arms.

“You’ll have to excuse me my dear, but what crimes? I certainly haven’t heard anything about monster homicides, and I’m a newsreader!” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure you must have misheard or just been confused by the situation in general. You’ve suffered a lot of trauma, and a concussion too!”

Ah. So that’s what his angle was.

“I did say ‘suspected homicides’. Monsters don’t die as we do, so unless there’s a witness, you can’t really be sure.”

“And there we have it, folks! Just speculation.” He grinned as the audience visibly relaxed. It was obvious Perry thought he’d won. He started talking to the camera, seemingly trying to wrap up your segment as quick as possible, and you still didn’t know how to respond.

_Ask and redirect._

Suddenly you were more thankful than ever that Mettaton had done your makeup that morning.

Tilting your head to one side, you interrupted the flow of speech, looking up with bemused curiosity. “Perry, you do run missing person pieces on your show, don’t you?”

“Yes…?”

“Well then, can you tell me why you’ve never run a missing monster piece?”

His eyes went wide. _Bingo._

“Well, I mean, of course we would if one ever presented itself.”

“Great,” you drawled, smirking. “There’s a detective in the green room with a list. I’m sure that being as their deaths were ‘purely speculation’, you would have no trouble broadcasting their names and finding them?”

He floundered, and you relished in it. The audience was really talking now, some individual words approaching audible volume.

“Why… would it matter? They could have run away, back to the mountain or something.”

“What about humans that have just ‘run away’?” You gasped dramatically. “Why Perry, it’s almost as if you’re not for equal rights!”

The room burst into noise. You saw the producer madly gesturing to cut, but Perry wasn’t paying attention.

“You really think those… _things_ are worth all this trouble?” he hissed, covering his mic. “Just think about how much easier your life would be if they’d never come out of that stupid mountain!”

You’d never wanted to punch someone more in your entire life. Instead, you took a deep breath.

People were moving out of their seats and some of them had phones. You were still being filmed, may as well put on a show.

_knock ‘em dead, kid._

You weren’t alone, and the thought filled you with something.

“Y’know I forgot one vital piece of information. So far this week I’ve been assaulted, burgled and stalked by humans, _all_ of which could have happened to me if monsters didn’t exist. I might as well just be another statistic at this point. What I didn’t tell you is that the person who got me out of all of those situations did so with magic.”

Perry gaped. “Y-you’re actually friends with one?”

“Yeah, and frankly…” you leaned forwards. “He’s more human than you.”

Justice had been done.

As you turned to go, it seemed as if the others hadn’t been able to sit around in the green room after watching what had just happened on the monitors. Undyne was cracking her knuckles viciously, an expression of maniacal glee on her face. Next to her Papyrus was almost vibrating with excitement.

“I TOLD YOU IT WAS A BATTLE OF WORDS!”

“It was indeed Paps. Looks like I won too.”

Mettaton pushed forwards, grabbing both of your hands in his. “That was a magnificent performance darling! Oh, and the _tears!_ Such an amazing delivery!”

“Hey, you did tell me to sell it.”

“And I bought every word.” His expression turned sour as he straightened up, letting go of you to glance over your head at Perry. “I swear I am going to get that man fired. What kind of despicable, misinformed questions-,”

You lost focus on what he was saying after a few words because another hand found yours. Without thinking, you turned in to Sans’ warm arms, letting them wrap around you in a comforting hug.

“ya did great, ___,” he murmured. It was almost a caress, the words like silk on your ear.

Your breath caught in your throat.

Sans was a great friend. He already meant the world to you, and through the past couple of days, you _had_ been through a lot.

It was unclear as to whether his actions that morning were to blame, and you’d sworn to unpack this later. There was no change in that plan, although it had just been made alarmingly clear where you stood on the matter.

You liked Sans.

And you had no idea what the hell to do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's the end of the first act! We're one third of the way through this story, and honestly it's only going to get better.  
> Well, and worse for Reader...


	14. Intentions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [] You in ASL  
> {} Frisk in ASL

“Mom, I swear I’m fine!” You winced as the squeaky speaker on your phone let out a tirade of profanity. It wasn’t directed at you, but rather the situation as a whole.

_“And you’re sure you’re ok staying where you are? You don’t need us to come down or anything?”_

A slow smile came over your face. It was good to know some things never changed.

Two days had passed since the interview. In that time, the impact from your performance had escalated to monumental proportions. Several shaky-cam videos had appeared online, a few of them even catching the vile things Perry had muttered at the end. All of them painted you as a hero of some sort, and despite your unwillingness to accept that role, even you admitted you’d looked pretty damn cool.

They’d gone viral over a very short span of time, the world’s media buzzing with questions. Who were you? Why had you spoken out? And the most important of all, where had you gone?

You hadn’t actually _gone_ anywhere. You were still staying in the skeleton brothers’ spare room, the media blissfully unaware of your exact location. After speaking with the university, they’d deemed it appropriate to put a hold on your studies for a few weeks to wait for everything to die down. You’d been relieved that they felt that way as frankly studying was the last thing on your mind right now.

And then your parents had seen your face on the news. To be completely honest, you’d forgotten to tell them what had been going on and had received an earful over not calling often enough. They’d been more than eager to drop everything and whisk you straight out of Ebott, away from the danger.

You’d politely declined. Running away was not an option you’d like to take, and after explaining that you were perfectly safe and protected, they’d understood.

“I’m sure,” you said, putting the finishing touches on your makeup. “I promise I’m going to call more now though. I let myself get too wrapped up in studying, and now I realise how important it is to communicate with the people that care about me.”

_“Good. So, I hear you’re meeting the king tonight?”_

“Lemme guess,” you grinned. “Undyne told you?”

The pride in your mother’s voice was evident. _“Well you did give her our number! We were curious about your new friends and she was more than happy to tell us all about it. We weren’t really sure what to make of it when she said you were going to a house party at Mettaton’s with royalty!”_

“It’s not really that big a deal. Mettaton just wanted to celebrate, what with Perry being fired and… everything else.”

_“Mmmhmm,”_

“I mean, I met the queen and ambassador a while ago, it was only a matter of time.”

_“Oh honey, we’re just so proud of you. It’s been your dream to meet Frisk for so long, after all.”_

“I mean, they’re such a good kid. Pretty normal for the saviour of all monsters really.” _But…_ You weren’t about to tell your mom how much the thought of seeing Frisk tonight made you nervous. Especially now you’d had the chance to figure out you had a crush on Sans. They were too perceptive for their own damn good.

_“Well I’m sure you’ll have fun regardless.”_

“Speaking of which, I’ve got to go. The party starts soon, and I can’t be late.”

_“Alright. Have fun, sweetie!”_

Your mother hung up. Quickly glancing at the mirror again, you felt satisfied with what you saw. Sure, your makeup skills weren’t as good as Mettaton’s, but they were by no means bad, and that dress he’d bought for you made up for everything ten times over. Putting your makeup away, you jumped when a light knock on the door sent a shudder down your spine. There was only one person it could be, as Papyrus had left much earlier, and you were meeting the others at MTT mansion.

For the most part, it was business as usual between you and Sans. You still joked around, telling puns and driving Papyrus absolutely insane in the process. You still watched TV together, eating terrible junk food and laughing until the early hours of the morning. But every so often, he’d brush your hand whilst reaching for the remote, or _accidentally_ bump into you on the stairs. Little touches that could have meant nothing if that moment in the living room had never happened.

Obviously, you’d kept your crush a secret. For all you knew, he’d only been kidding around, responding to your pun in an arguably more creative way. Sans _knew_ he’d flustered you, but to what extent?

You got up to open the door, but before you had a chance, you heard:

“knock knock.”

“Who’s there?” you said with a smile. _Here we go again._

“honeydew.”

“Honeydew who?”

Opening the door, you were surprised to see Sans was still wearing his signature hoodie, but the usual basketball shorts and t-shirt were swapped out for a grey button up and black slacks.

“honeydew know how fine you look right now?” He winked.

You shouldn’t find that hot, but you felt your face warming in response.

_Play it cool, ___._

“Aww, and here I was feeling _melon_ choly about tonight,” you pretended to sigh dramatically.

“huh. nice one.” Grinning at your deflection, Sans continued. “so, you ready to go?”

“Yeah, anytime.”

“well then,” he held out his hand. “shall we?”

A little spark of electricity flowed through you as you took it. You’d become accustomed to a physical kind of friendship with him. Hugging, holding hands… even falling asleep on his shoulder that one time. It hadn’t really been a big deal before; the occasional flicker of something just attributed to minor awkwardness on your part. You knew you were touch-starved and had just assumed that once you’d got used to casual physical affection with your new friends, this sensation would go away.

As it turned out, holding hands with Sans was very different. You liked different.

Some small part of your mind remembered that he didn’t need to touch you to teleport, but as per usual, the moment you popped into a new location your mind found new topics to try to avoid thinking about the unnaturality of his shortcuts.

“Holy shit.”

Sans sighed. “yeah. it’s a bit much.”

He still held your hand, but you were unwilling to let go so soon. “I mean… it’s very _Mettaton._ Not sure I could deal with a twelve-foot-tall golden statue of myself in a reception room.”

“… so you could deal with it in, say, your living room?”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” you giggled, playfully swatting his arm.

“hmm.” And suddenly there it was again. That dark look that made your knees weak and your heart deafening in your ears. And oh God, you weren’t ready. “well then maybe you should be a little clearer.”

Without thinking, you murmured back. “Maybe you should be too.”

Well that certainly surprised him. Sans’ eyes went wide, and for a fraction of a second you felt slightly victorious. That only lasted until you realised what you’d said, and now you felt like sealing yourself inside Mount Ebott.

You were about to start thinking where to find a sorcerer when a wolf whistle pierced the silence. Both of you spun around to find the source.

Of course, it was Frisk. They were lounging in a doorframe, golden flowers tumbling through their braided hair onto the shoulders of a white shirt. And oh, weren’t they just loving the scene they’d walked in on.

“kid,” Sans warned, but Frisk was already striding forwards purposefully. Reaching you, they grabbed your hand and tugged you away. They were surprisingly strong, and after sticking their tongue out at the skeleton, pulled you with them into another room.

Well, ‘room’ was a bit of an understatement. It was a fucking ballroom, and you could see all the monsters you knew plus some additional faces milling around.

“Hey punk! We were wondering where you were!” Undyne yelled from beside a grand piano. She marched towards you, hand in hand with a bespectacled lizard monster. “Meet my wife! Alphys, this is ___!”

“I-I know who s-she is,” Alphys said quietly. “N-nice to m-meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” It was obvious Alphys was very shy. She was practically cowering behind her wife. You wanted to stay and chat more, but Frisk was insistently pulling you further into the crowd. “I’ll catch up with you guys later, apparently I’m needed somewhere else.”

Grinning, Undyne nodded. “Make sure you grab a drink while you can! Jerry’s hogging the bar.”

“W-was he even invited?” Alphys squeaked.

You didn’t catch the response, pulled into the crowd again. Trailing behind Frisk for a little while, you didn’t notice they’d stopped until you collided with their back.

“Frisk, what the-,”

Your words dried up as their destination finally dawned on you. A very tall monster wearing a floral shirt was regarding you with a smile.

It was the king.

“Uhhhhh…” You really didn’t know what was appropriate in this situation. Bowing your head, you managed to stutter out a greeting. “Hello, uhh, your majesty.”

The king chuckled. “No need for any of that. You’ve done us a great service, and it would be improper to ask you to bow. Besides, everyone calls me Asgore.” He stretched out a gigantic paw.

“Alright then. Asgore.” Smiling, you shook, although your hand disappeared momentarily in his white fur. “But you shouldn’t be thanking me, I only did what was right.”

“Indeed. You have a very just soul.”

“I…do?”

Asgore was dumbfounded. “You’re surprised? I would have thought Sans might have mentioned it with all the time you spend together.”

“Uhhhh.” Equally unsure as to why the king had mentioned your soul and what Sans’ involvement in all this was, you stayed quiet. Thankfully, he laughed it off.

“Never mind that now. You should ask him about it later. Now that everyone’s here, the celebrations can begin.”

Speaking of the skeleton, you spied him at the bar (seriously Mettaton, who has a fully-stocked bar in their home?) chugging down what looked like a Bloody Mary and everything came rushing back. Your brief respite in thinking about what had just happened to you ended, and unsure whether to go straight over there now or not, you just stood. Staring.

Feeling another tug on your hand, your course of action was decided for you. Vowing to talk to him later, you turned to look at Frisk again. They obviously had somewhere else to drag you off to, and bidding goodbye to Asgore, you were whisked away.

Instead of taking you to Toriel like you’d expected, Frisk pulled you to sit on a deep red couch, not that far from the bar. In fact, as you took a seat, Sans met your eyes. Immediately blushing, you looked away, almost hearing his chuckle ringing in your ears.

Man, you had it bad.

Frisk insistently tapped your shoulder until you glanced up again. When you did, a groan burst its way through your lips.

{You and Sans then.}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I just wrote this with my boyfriend staring over my shoulder, chuckling the entire time. He knows exactly what I write and has no issue with it, but it is really fucking difficult to proofread like I do (AKA aloud) with your significant other howling with laughter.  
> I stg, he's a real life Sans without the magic or, y'know. Bones.  
> Edit: hoooooooly shit, I'm an idiot. Of course the fucker has bones. _Human_ bones.


	15. Finally On the Same Page

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [] You in ASL  
> {} Frisk in ASL

_Oh shit._

Your worst fears had been realised. Of course, Frisk wanted to talk about _that._

They had walked in on the two of you holding hands with a fierce blush staining your cheeks after all. It wasn’t like they were deaf either, and the things you’d been saying… well, you weren’t sure if that was the kind of stuff ‘just friends’ would normally say.

[That’s not something I want to talk about.]

Frisk pulled a face.

{Why not?}

[It’s complicated]

{Why?}

God, the kid was insistent. You sighed, resigned.

[Promise you won’t tell anyone?]

They nodded, holding out their pinkie. You took it in your own, swearing on it. Frisk might be a bit of a loudmouth (no pun intended), but you were fairly certain you could trust them to keep secrets. They were an ambassador after all.

[There’s nothing going on.]

Huffing, Frisk pouted.

{That didn’t look like nothing.}

[I…] In truth, you still weren’t sure what that had been. [I think he’s just teasing me. You know how much Sans likes jokes.]

Frisk wasn’t buying it. {Sure.}

[Hey, I’m telling the truth. There’s nothing going on. Besides, somehow I don’t think I’m his type.]

That earned you a roll of their eyes. {Right. Because there’s no chemistry between you.} You were about to say that wasn’t the case when Frisk began signing again. {You make him laugh.}

[So does Toriel. And Papyrus.]

{Yeah, but he’s known them for years. You’re new.}

Trying to ignore the little flame of hope in your chest, you quickly replied. [Come on Frisk, I’m nothing special.]

They stopped smiling. {Never say that again.}

[But-,] Frisk stilled your hands with their own before continuing.

{Never. Ok?}

This was obviously something they took very seriously. You decided to agree with them. [Got it.]

{Back to business, I don’t know you very well, but I do know Sans.} They certainly didn’t want to give up this topic. {He loves to laugh, and your jokes are just as terrible as his.}

That you definitely agreed with. [Is that enough? Laughing together… that’s friendship, nothing more.]

{So you do want it to be something more?}

You thought long and hard about your answer. Not because you were unsure about what you wanted, but because you didn’t know if telling Frisk would be the best option. Eventually, you relented, the relief of telling someone outweighing risk.

[Yes.]

Frisk punched the air in celebration. {I knew it! Undyne owes me a lifetime of nice creams!}

[You can’t say to anyone.] You insistently signed, pushing the thought that people had been betting on the outcome of whatever this was to the back of your mind. [You promised.]

{Yeah, but you’re going to tell him… aren’t you?}

Shrugging at their horrified expression, you tried to look nonchalant. [No. I don’t want to make things awkward if he doesn’t like me back. I live in his house after all.]

{So? Just tell him!} For some reason, they seemed to be a little frantic; hands shaking slightly as they signed.

[I… can’t. Sorry Frisk.] The words ‘maybe you’ll understand when you’re older’ flashed through your mind, but you didn’t sign them. The kid was so grown up in many ways, and probably wouldn’t appreciate being told something like that.

After sitting in silence for a little while, you felt your hand being poked. Looking up, it seemed like Frisk had calmed down again, and was even smiling encouragingly at you.

{If Sans said something to you, would you date him then?}

You flushed. _Still on this topic?_ [Yeah.]

The teenager’s face split into a wide smile. It looked like they were fighting to contain themselves. {Okay. I hope he says something soon.}

Returning the smile, you felt a little pang of regret. If everything did turn out to be just teasing, this conversation was going to come back and bite you in the butt. But then again, if his words from earlier carried any sort of meaning…

[Why are you so sure he will?]

Frisk tilted their head. {He’s been happier than usual recently. I haven’t seen him act like this since everyone got to the surface. It’s because of you.}

[Really?] An unfamiliar warmth bloomed in your chest. It felt nice. _Really_ nice, actually. So nice, you almost didn’t register Frisk’s next sentence.

{It’s a good thing you want to bone him.}

[Frisk!]

They snorted, beginning to laugh in earnest. You didn’t have time to react as a few shouts from the bar had the two of you wheeling round.

_Speak of the devil._ It appeared Sans had just sprayed an orange cat monster with a mouthful of his drink. He was shrugging, offering the poor guy a napkin to dry off with. Listening hard, you heard him speak through the laughter that surrounded them.

“sorry bp. i’ll make it up to ya.”

“Hey, uh, it’s fine buddy. Must have been some joke.”

Frisk tapped you on the shoulder. {I have to go back to mom now, but good luck with everything!} They winked, standing up and disappearing into the crowd, leaving you confused as hell.

For someone hellbent on getting all the juicy details of your crush, Frisk sure hightailed it out of there in a hurry. The second they were out of their seat, a strange looking blob monster took it. He had three drinks in his tentacles and kept complaining about the Wi-Fi not working. Smiling politely, you excused yourself, not really wanting to talk to him.

You decided to head over to the bar yourself. It was beginning to turn into a very strange night, and frankly a drink or two wouldn’t hurt. The only issue was that the very monster you’d just been discussing with Frisk sat there too.

After the conversation you’d had, it maybe wasn’t wise to talk to Sans, but it would probably look weird if you didn’t. Squaring your shoulders, you moved to slide onto the empty barstool beside him.

“That was a hell of a spit take.”

You didn’t miss the way he tensed, but it eased off almost immediately when he turned to grin at you.

“sure was. i had been hoping to keep my spirits in me tonight, but it seems like they had other plans.”

“Ugh that was baaad,” you said, laughing anyway. After ordering yourself a drink, a slightly uncomfortable silence descended between the two of you. It wasn’t unnatural, but for some reason it just felt… odd.

Sans eventually broke it. “heh. so, you had fun with the kid?”

_No, no, no, no, no._ Fighting down your blush, you grinned. “Yeah. They took me to meet Asgore. He’s pretty cool. Oh, and I met Alphys too. She and Undyne were telling me to get to the bar before someone drank it out.”

“ahh. that’ll be jerry.” He pulled a face. “nobody invited him, but he always just shows up. in fact…” He twisted to point at the monster that had been obsessing over the internet. “i think you met him already.”

“Oh. That explains a lot actually.” A drink was placed in front of you, and you smiled politely at the fiery bartender. “Thank you.” He nodded in response and you took a sip, relishing in the strong taste that washed over your tongue.

“did i mention you look great tonight?” Sans suddenly murmured.

The comment came out of nowhere, catching you by surprise. “Well, you compared me to a melon.” _And said I looked ‘pretty fine’ in the process._ “Thanks though. You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“nah. you on the other hand…” He let out a low whistle.

“I mean I feel a little overdressed to be honest.” _Shit shit shit._ “I really wanted to wear something more casual, but Mettaton insisted.”

Sans paused for a second to take a drink. As soon as he’d put the glass down, you saw a familiar smirk slowly begin to appear. “i’m glad he did.”

This was _not_ how this conversation was supposed to go. You were supposed to get some _very_ strong alcohol, laugh at stupid puns, and walk away. But now, as you sat gripping your drink like a life preserver, you could feel your resolve to not tell him weakening.

Something had changed between you. The way he was looking at you was different; his gaze indefinably charged. It made your heart pound painfully in your chest, yearning for you to take the leap and trust it for once.

“Why?” was the only word you were able to choke out.

Sans’ eyes narrowed infinitesimally. Sliding a digit forwards, he traced it across your knuckles. The action made you shiver; a delightfully intoxicating feeling.

“guess i’m making my intentions clear,” he purred. “did i mention i understand asl?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOPS THERE IT IS! Private conversations aren't really that private in sign language, and I guess dear Reader found that out the hard way...


	16. Who's Teasing Who?

_ASL. Sans understands ASL._ You had to repeat the words no less than ten times in your head until the meaning finally clicked into place.

He’d seen everything you’d said.

“That little _shit!_ ” You muttered.

“who?” Mildly surprised at your outburst, Sans withdrew. You couldn’t help the way your stomach tightened painfully at the loss of contact, but really that was the least of your concerns right now.

“Frisk. They just _had_ to take me to that specific sofa, didn’t they?” Burying your face in your hands to avoid looking at him, you groaned. “And they didn’t even break their promise not to tell you, because _I_ did.”

He chuckled. “they like getting their way no matter what. believe me.”

“Ugh. Doesn’t matter now. You know, I guess. Go on, say what you’ve gotta.” You braced for the worst, still fully expecting him to tell you it was all one big joke.

“kid, i wasn’t teasing.” Chest clenching, you looked up to realise Sans was blushing. He looked almost… _embarrassed._ “s’ just… you’ve been on my mind a lot recently. couldn’t tell you why, but somewhere along the line things started to change. heh, all that blushing you do got to me, i guess.”

You were about to protest that you didn’t blush _that_ much, but then realised that would be a complete lie. “That’s your fault,” you grumbled.

Sans’ eyes widened, and he scratched the back of his head abashedly. “really? thought it was just somethin’ you humans did. i, err.” His voice dropped to almost a whisper, “asked frisk why they didn’t blush as much as you.”

“Oh my God.”

“yeah. suppose that’s what got them started.”

“You don’t say.” It was slowly dawning on you that for once, this wasn’t a joke. Sans was really here, telling you he felt the same. _What is going on??_

“and then you just had to go and use possibly the _worst_ pick up line i’ve ever heard on me.” He shook his head, smiling in a bemused way. “fuckin’ shot to the heart. jesus kid, give a guy some warning.”

“I was only returning the favour. Besides, you were being just as bad.”

“there aren’t many people that can match me punwise, but you got me pretty damn good. frankly i didn’t know what you were doin’ to me, just that i sure as hell didn’t want it to stop. but shit, kid… i thought you were the one teasing me.”

It was your turn to be surprised. “Why would you ever think that?”

He shrugged, gesturing at himself. “dunno. kinda thought you might have found it a little weird. i mean, i’m literally a bag of bones.”

_Are you kidding me?_ “Sans… buddy… I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I’m kind of big on monsters.”

“yeah… that didn’t really translate so well. i’m dumb.”

“That makes two of us.” You drained what was left of your drink and flagged the bartender down for a second.

“‘nother for me too, grillbz.” The flame monster nodded again. It seemed he didn’t talk much. Either that or he’d decided the two of you needed some privacy.

You drank in silence for a bit. To be honest, you were kind of thankful for it. So much had happened, you needed a moment just to process it all.

“…what made you want to say something?” You eventually asked.

“y’mean apart from hearing how you felt?” Seeing your face flush yet again, he chuckled. “i wanted to wait for things to cool down, at least until you were safe again. in case you felt… i dunno, obligated or somethin’.” Sans took a drink before turning to look you in the eyes. There was a note of humour in his expression, but for the most part he was deadly serious. It made your heart flutter with excitement. “and then you come out lookin’ like _that,_ tellin’ me to be clearer… my plan went out the window. Almost told ya there and then, but the kid…”

“Had other, much more humiliating plans.”

He nodded. “s’ probably worth mentioning that most monsters speak asl. y’know, cause we need to understand our ambassador?”

“… so you’re telling me what just happened was the equivalent of a public confession?” You immediately glanced up, trying to see if anyone was watching your conversation.

“i don’t think _that_ many people were payin’ attention.”

You caught Undyne’s eye. She grinned and gave you a thumbs up. “Just the ones that mattered. Damn it, Frisk.”

It was impossible to stay mad at the teen with your heart doing cartwheels. You’d probably have a word with them later about appropriate behaviour, but for now you were content to sit with Sans.

“soo, you want to go out someplace tomorrow night?” he said suddenly. “i promise it’ll be safe.”

“Have I given you any indication that I wouldn’t?”

“umm…”

“That’s a yes, dummy.” You rolled your eyes, leaning over to cover his hand in yours. Almost immediately, Sans twisted, twining his fingers with your own. It was bizarre how much more intimate the gesture felt now the two of you were… whatever you were. That was still to be decided, and frankly, you didn’t mind. For now, this was nice.

You didn’t notice the figure that had crept up behind you until it was too late.

“My, my, myyyy, what do we have here?” A silky-smooth voice washed over you. “Took you long enough, darling. I would have jumped his bones a while ago.”

“Thanks, Mettaton,” you said dryly. Turning, you saw he was wearing the feathered gown you’d tried on previously. It looked so right on him, rolling waves of purple organza falling to cover his legs. Every time he moved they’d be bared, revealing thigh high gladiator sandals. “You look fantastic!”

“As do you, my dear! That dress certainly does suit you. Unfortunately, I’ve come to steal you away for a bit. The real festivities are about to begin.”

You didn’t really want to go, but Sans released your hand and grinned at you. “we’ll have plenty of time later. go have fun.”

After shooting him a small smile, you turned to look quizzically at Mettaton. “What exactly are the ‘real festivities’?”

“I keep on forgetting you’ve never been to one of my parties before. You shall see.”

He took you over to the piano where Papyrus was waiting.

“HELLO, ___! I HOPE YOU ARE HAVING FUN. SANS CERTAINLY SEEMS TO BE ENJOYING HIMSELF! NYEHEHEH!” He spluttered the laugh out behind an outstretched hand.

You bit your lip, trying to hide the slightly embarrassed giggle that threatened to erupt. “Yes, Paps. I’m having a great time.”

“Attention everybody!”

You hadn’t seen how, but when you turned around, Mettaton was lounging on the piano. Rose petals fell from the ceiling to scatter over his reclining form and suddenly you began to understand that even without royalty, parties here were probably unlike any you’d ever attended. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to look. Some had expressions of resignation, but most smiled brightly at the spectacle before them. It looked like this wasn’t the first time Mettaton had done this.

“I would like to begin by thanking you all for attending at such short notice. Especially our resident dignitaries.” He winked at Asgore. Your eyes searched for Toriel, eventually finding her and Frisk further towards the back. The teenager looked overjoyed, waving at you with a giant grin on their face. After a moment’s hesitation, you smiled back. You supposed you were pretty happy too, just more than a little embarrassed.

“And now, to start the evening right, I propose a toast!” Looking back at Mettaton, you saw he now held a champagne flute. _Where the hell did that come from??_ “To ___. For being brave in the face of prejudice and hate. Thank you, darling. You did something we could not.”

“You really didn’t have t-,” you started to say.

“just take the compliment!” Sans yelled from the bar. Flushing, you heard some scattered snickers.

“… thank you.” It was genuine, although you still didn’t see why what you had done was so special.

Mettaton laughed, raising his glass. “To ___!”

“To ___!” the attendees chorused.

After waiting for the crowd to die down, he continued. “Now let’s get to the celebrations! Undyne, can you join me?”

You had no idea what Undyne had to do with any of this, but you managed to scurry off whilst she took a seat behind the piano. Papyrus came with you.

“THIS IS THE BEST BIT OF METTATON’S EVENTS!” he whispered as a hauntingly beautiful tune began to blossom from the piano. “HE TOLD ME THAT THE LYRICS WERE INSPIRED BY OUR RELATIONSHIP! ALTHOUGH THEY WERE INITIALLY ABOUT FRISK, HE CHANGED THEM WHEN WE MET!”

Glancing around, you saw that everyone had stopped to listen. Even Jerry had paused in his incessant chattering to stare.

The song Mettaton sung was one you recognised from TV; a slow ballad that became even more alluring without any other instrumentation. The lyrics described the singer’s one true love and you had a funny sort of feeling that it meant a lot more to the couple than Papyrus was letting on. In fact, when you glanced up at him, you saw tears glistening in his eyes. Electing to give him some privacy, you just watched the show unfold.

Lulled into a peaceful state by the music, you only noticed it had stopped when applause erupted around you. Mettaton slid off the piano and after flirtatiously fluttering his fingers at Papyrus, gestured towards a giant mixing desk and speakers set up on the other side of the room.

“And now may I present my dear cousin who has agreed to DJ for us tonight. Hit it, Blooky!”

Another familiar face. Your eyes widened as Napstablook materialised behind the desk, cueing the intro to one of his biggest hits.

Feeling the music pulse through the air, you grinned. It was going to be a good night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't upload yesterday, it was not a good one and I felt like the chapter was not how I wanted it to be. Buuuuuuut... No promises, there might be a second chapter going up much later today, depending on a few things.  
> Today is better.


	17. (Un)Luck be a Lady

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [] You in ASL  
> {} Frisk in ASL

_Ahhh, this is the best_. You stretched out, allowing your relaxed joints to move one by one. For once, you’d had a good night’s sleep. Tired out from hours of dancing and talking, you’d pretty much passed out as soon as your head hit the pillow

The party had indeed been great, not stopping until the early hours of the morning when once again, Sans had taken your hand and brought you back to your room. This time, he hadn’t let go, and the two of you had stood and talked in the corridor until finally your yawns became too much and he’d sent you to bed with the promise to resume on your date.

 _The date._ Smiling to yourself, you rolled over onto your side to hug your pillow. That was something to get excited about. You still had no idea where he was taking you, just that you should be ready for seven.

The thought made your skin prickle with anticipation. You hadn’t been on a date in years, let alone with someone that had made you feel like this.

The sunlight streaming through the curtains reflected your mood. It was a big difference to the grey weather of late, and letting out a quiet sigh, your eyes drifted shut again. Listening to the birds singing, you couldn’t help relishing in what a beautiful day it was beginning to be.

That was, until your door nearly flew off its hinges.

Eyes flying open, you shot upright, blankets clutched tightly around you like some kind of feeble defence. You were totally unprepared to see Mettaton reclining against the doorframe, a single rose trailing dramatically down his face.

“Mettaton, I don’t mean to be rude, but _what the fuck?_ ” you hissed.

He simply grinned. You heard a muffled grunt from the corridor behind him and leant sideways to see Papyrus dragging Sans across the landing by the hem of his shirt. He’d obviously been dragged out of bed, as he only wore a pair of black boxers and a white tee. You felt your face heat in response.

The second he made eye contact with you, he shrugged. “they found out about the date.”

_Shit._

“Who told you?” you grumbled.

“Now, now dear. That would be telling. My sources deserve their privacy.”

“It was Frisk, wasn’t it,” you deadpanned.

To his credit, he didn’t flinch. Instead, he sidestepped to reveal the teen who stood in the doorway, a small bunch of golden flowers in hand.

“Oh…”

Handing the bouquet to Mettaton, they walked forwards to perch on the edge of the bed. They looked conflicted.

“Hey, kid…”

{I’m sorry I did something stupid.} Their hands trembled a little. {I messed with you and Sans and although it worked out, it wasn’t nice of me to do that.}

“Frisk…” you murmured gently. They weren’t done yet, signing despite water beginning to bubble up in their eyes.

{I just wanted the two of you to be happy. Sans is always sad and alone even if he doesn’t tell anyone, and your soul feels the same. I was only trying to help.}

It was your turn to cut them off mid-sentence. Reaching out to cover their hands with your own, you pulled them into a tight hug. After a moment Frisk responded, uncurling to clutch at the front of your shirt as they shook with silent sobs.

“It’s ok. You were only doing what you thought was best.” You tried to sound reassuring, but you yourself were on the verge of tears. “And hey, don’t worry. Things were going to happen with or without your help, so you didn’t force us into anything.”

Frisk stiffened, pulling back to free their hands. {Really?}

You dropped into ASL, not trusting your voice. [Really.]

{Are we still friends?} Their bluntness would have made you chuckle had you not been so surprised that they thought you might not consider them one anymore.

[Of course. Just promise me you’ll never do anything like this again, ok?]

They nodded determinedly. {Promise.}

[Good.] Then returning to speech: “Now can either of you tell me what the hell you’re doing here so early?”

Mettaton clutched the bouquet against his chest. “Why, we’re here to help you get ready for your date!”

“That’s not until seven! It’s only…” glancing at your phone, you winced. “Okay, I didn’t realise it was _that_ late, but we’ve still got _hours!_ ”

“Hours to make you look totally unforgettable!”

You huffed. “This isn’t optional, is it?”

*

You had to admit, the pair had done a fantastic job. The cute, yellow skater dress hugged your curves whilst remaining conservative enough to be appropriate. Black kitten heels provided a striking contrast, subtle enough not to make you look like a giant bee. That was a comparison you could do without. You didn’t know how well versed in memes Sans was yet.

Your makeup was subtle but added a brightness to your features that simply wasn’t there before. Try as you might, you couldn’t see where it came from, despite having literally watched Mettaton apply everything.

The three of you had gossiped the time away, discussing everything from the incoming wedding to how Mettaton and Frisk had met.

“-so then they tossed this stick at me, and of course I had to give the viewers what they wanted.”

{He caught it in his mouth.} Frisk signed, rolling their eyes.

“Are you serious?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?”

You were laughing away and didn’t notice Mettaton glancing at his phone. You did however catch the glance he shot at Frisk. “What?”

“It, ah, seems we’re out of time. Your date awaits, my dear.” He stood up, offering you an arm. You took it gratefully, suddenly feeling a buzz of nerves. This was actually happening. You were going on a date with Sans.

An unfamiliar sensation burning under your skin, you stepped out onto the landing. You could see Sans and Papyrus talking in hushed tones by the front door. At first, you thought he was simply wearing his normal outfit, but the closer you got, the more detail you saw. His hoodie had been replaced with a dark blue bomber jacket, and… was he wearing jeans? Whatever, he looked pretty damn good nonetheless.

Hearing your approach, he looked up. And simply stared.

You saw the second he laid eyes on you, something lit up on his face; an undisguised appreciation of sorts. The same emotion was probably plain on you too, as Mettaton had to clear his throat politely to get you to concentrate on walking down the stairs.

When you reached the bottom, Sans was there, waiting with an outstretched hand. You took it, and he grinned.

“you look… wow. just… wow.”

“So do you,” you breathed. He _smelt_ amazing too. A sort of woody cologne clung to his clothes, and you only realised you’d been leaning in when Mettaton nudged you.

“Darling… we didn’t spend _this_ long getting you dressed up for you to forgo the date,” he muttered, slyly smirking as you realised what you’d been doing. You squeaked, pulling back immediately.

“Err, yeah. Right. Where are we going anyway?” you asked Sans.

“oh, just a little place i know. they serve the best ketchup in town.”

“Y’know I genuinely forgot you were into that.”

“don’t worry, they’ve got actual food too. unless you _mustard_ the strength to try some.”

You heard various groans of displeasure but couldn’t keep the smile off your face. It was good he hadn’t changed just because you were on a date. “I don’t know about the ketchup, but we’d better get a move on. I’ll only _pepper_ you with questions until we get there.”

“hmm. you’re pretty well _seasoned_ to this line of enquiry.”

“And this is a recipe for disaster,” Mettaton murmured, before realising what he’d said, and slapping a hand over his mouth. You saw Papyrus turn to face him, and then suddenly you weren’t there anymore.

You and Sans were standing outside a friendly looking building. Red and orange curtains covered the windows, giving privacy to the diners inside. The sign read ‘Grillby’s Bar and Grill’.

“i know my bro. things were about to _boil over_ , and i didn’t want to hang around to see him _steaming._ ”

You chuckled, tightening you grip on his hand. “Poor Mettaton. Out of the frying pan…”

Sans just stared at you for a moment, a dazed expression clouding his features. “what are you doin’ to me, kid?”

 _Anything you want me to._ You shook yourself. It was a bit soon for that kind of talk, but the light, airy feeling in your chest egged you on. “The same thing you’re doing to me, probably.”

He gulped. “well, uhh, here we are.”

Glancing up again, you realised the name sounded a little familiar. “Grillby’s?”

“yeah, it’s uhh familiar territory. figured things might be safer here.” He walked forwards, and you followed him through the doors.

The first thing that hit you was the heat. It wasn’t too much but considering how chilly the night air had been outside, you immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Noticing that the bartender was the same flame monster from Mettaton’s party, the name finally clicked into place. Sans had referred to him as ‘Grillbz’ when ordering a drink, so it only made sense he was the proprietor.

It was a monster bar first and foremost, the occasional human huddled away in a booth. They mostly stayed in small groups, warily eyeing the other customers from their secluded spots. You felt a little sorry for the monsters who had obviously come here to unwind, instead finding themselves watched, but it didn’t seem they really cared that much. There were one or two humans who had seemingly embraced the spirit of things, participating further in the lively atmosphere. One such man was even playing poker with a table of dogs. It seemed he was losing, but the giant grin on his face told a different story. It made you smile.

The second you stepped over the threshold, the majority of the patrons turned to see who had come in.

“Hey Sans,”

“Greetings,”

“Hiya Sansy~,”

He waved to each one in turn, nodding at Grillby as he pulled you into an empty booth. You felt more than a few pairs of eyes follow, and immediately became a little self-conscious. From your earlier conversation with Frisk, you’d come to the conclusion that Sans didn’t really date, so this must be something of an anomaly. You were just glad that the seats offered some protection from prying eyes.

“I’m guessing you’re a regular.”

“ya could say that.” He pushed a menu towards you. “this is kinda my spot.”

“Hmm.” So he’d brought you somewhere important. That boded well. “Anything you recommend? _Besides_ the ketchup.”

“the burger’s pretty good.”

“That’ll be fine then.” Your fingers were still linked on the table, and you ran your thumb over his.

“i’ll go get us some drinks then,” Sans said, although he made no attempt to move.

“Y’know that would involve you getting up, and frankly I don’t want you leaving me _bonely_ anytime soon.”

“stars,” you heard him mutter under his breath, before releasing you to grab a napkin. “wouldn’t want that, would we? although your puns are getting a little predictable. you could say they’re simply… _tearable._ ” He ripped it in half.

 _Oh, it’s on._ Grabbing the salt shaker, you poured a little out into your hand. “That was an _a-salt_ on the English language. Come on Sans, _ketchup._ ”

“back on the condiment puns i see. it’s a shame, but i’ll _fork_ give you.” You groaned.

“That was barely a pun!”

“what can i say? i’m nuts about you and it’s distracting as hell.” Eyes widening, you watched as he pulled a crumpled bag of salted peanuts from his pocket, dropping them on the table.

“… how many props have you got with you?”

Sans tilted his head. “d’you really wanna find out? or would you rather i _leaf_ you alone?”

 _Leaf?_ “Where’s the pun it that?”

But Sans was already unzipping his jacket to reveal a white shirt, patterned with…

“Holy shit. You’re good.” You said, honestly amazed that he’d had the foresight to wear palm print.

He leant in conspiratorially. “you have no idea how difficult it was to sneak this past my bro, although the expression on your face tells me it was worth it.”

You giggled. “Definitely.”

He managed to get up and order eventually, but not before the two of you had exchanged a few more puns. You had no idea why you were finding them so attractive, but the sheer amount of effort and planning Sans had put into the jokes was impressive.

Conversation flowed naturally between you; the lingering fear that things wouldn’t be the same if you dated dissipating as you ate. And that left a very real question burning in its place. Would he want to do this again? It certainly seemed like it, and you felt your mind buzzing with questions at the prospect. Mainly: _what does this make us?_

After eating, you excused yourself to the bathroom to touch up your makeup and cool down a little.

The ladies’ was relatively deserted; only you and another human woman who looked up from reapplying her lipstick to briefly acknowledge you as you came in. You smiled, but she returned to her task without a response.

A glance in the mirror revealed whatever setting spray Mettaton had used was indeed doing its job. Your makeup had barely shifted, and you were pretty sure a light reapplication of gloss was all you needed.

The woman beside you started messing with her phone as you leant forwards. She seemed a little jumpy, moving erratically as she mashed the buttons to bring up the camera function. You breathed a short sigh of relief when she turned to take a selfie. For a second, you’d thought she was trying to get a picture of you.

Returning your focus to the mirror, you didn’t notice the camera being set to video mode, or the woman gingerly propping it up against a tap.

However, you did hear her footsteps behind you. You felt a rough cloth cover your mouth and nose as your right arm was yanked back, smelt the piercing scent of whatever was on it, and quickly stopped breathing as the edges of your vision became blurred.

“Hello, ___,” a rough voice growled. “You are very, _very_ unlucky.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kinda evil >:) couldn't let Reader get too happy, although next chapter is going to contain some stuff I know _everyone _has been waiting for.__


	18. Not the Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for graphic violence and guns.  
> I'm serious kiddos.  
> Also, DON'T TRY THIS SHIT!!!

Years of training took over. A swift elbow to the ribs made the woman grunt, falling backwards and losing her grip on the rag. You inhaled sharply, fuzz clearing from your vision.

Finally getting a good look at her, you saw she was taller than you, blonde hair in a ponytail and wearing sensible clothing. She’d been prepared, the exact opposite of your current situation. You hadn’t even considered bringing your knife out and were totally unarmed. However, the look in her eyes gave you some hope. She was angry, and it showed; nostrils flaring with the peaks in her temper. If you played your cards right…

“Can you… _shits_ fuck off?” you hissed. “You’re ruining what has been a perfectly good date with this kidnapping crap.”

“Come quietly and it’ll _only_ be a kidnapping.”

You actually laughed at that. “You really think a monster bar bathroom is the best place for this? Fucking try me, bitch.”

“Ohhh, you’re gonna pay for that.” A flash of metal drew your focus to the pistol she pulled out of her pocket. You felt your stomach flip at the sight.

It was the same.

A silver gun, glinting under streetlights. Your own hoarse scream.

Someone else’s.

But you’d practiced since then. You could look at the _thing_ she held without feeling like you’d vomit.

The gun may be similar, but you’d spent years learning it was not _the same._

Breathing deeply, you met her eyes once more. Thankfully the woman hadn’t taken your momentary distraction, and stood, smile bordering on manic as she brandished the tool. “What’cha gonna do now?” she sneered.

_I suggest you don’t try to find out._

It turned out she wasn’t a very sensible woman. She approached slowly, gun in an outstretched hand as she spoke.

“Now, you’re gonna walk with me, out the back, all quiet like-.” As she twitched it to the right, indicating where to go, you took the opportunity and leant away, trying to wrestle the weapon from her hand. She tightened her grip, making it impossible to take it for yourself. Landing simultaneous strikes on her forearm and the back of her hand, you managed to knock it away. The gun skittered off beneath a cubicle door, thankfully not discharging, and you would have breathed a sigh of relief had her left fist not connected with your jaw.

“ _Fuck,_ ” you cursed, bringing your hands up to protect your face. She kept coming, battering you with heavy punches that were sure to leave bruises. Forcing you backwards until you felt your shoe touch the wall.

You were in the elevator all over again. The face before you swam out of focus, replaced by _his_. The one from your dreams. The one who, unchecked, would have pummelled you into unconsciousness and beyond.

And then suddenly it wasn’t just his face glaring at you.

“No,” you snarled. This time you weren’t tired. This time you were ready.

This time you wouldn’t need saving.

It had been years since you’d done this, and you hoped that somehow you’d retained the flexibility to pull it off.

Twisting to face the line of mirrors, you used the momentum to carry your left foot round and solidly into the woman’s neck. She stumbled back, confused for a second before you grabbed her face with both hands and smashed it into a sink.

… well, she wasn’t getting back up from that anytime soon.

You stood there for a short while, simply staring until finally the crash hit you. Knees buckling, you fell to the floor.

The dress you wore had these curious little red accents dotting the front. You didn’t remember seeing them that morning when you’d put it on, but now they looked awfully real. Were you just imagining things? Swiping a finger over one, you felt oddly mystified as it smudged; coming away from the fabric and coating your skin.

_Ah._ It was blood.

A shriek had your head lolling up to meet the gaze of a blue bunny monster that stood in the doorway. She was wearing a fancy polka-dotted suit that moved before your eyes. _No._ She was shaking, movement jarring the pattern.

“I-I heard the crash and…” she faltered.

“Get. Sans.” You felt something wet pooling in the corner of your mouth as you spoke. By the look on the monster’s face, it probably wasn’t anything good. She dashed out immediately, and you returned your focus to the woman on the floor.

She was breathing, so you hadn’t killed her. The left side of her face was… for lack of a better word, a mess. You hadn’t meant to do that, but she’d left you no choice.

Tilting your head back against the wall, you shut your eyes for a second to block out the scene around you.

It took a few moments for you to realise someone was calling your name. Such a pleasant sound, it enticed, willing you to look up. When you did, you found Sans crashing to his knees beside you.

“-and someone call undyne. get her over here as quick as-,” he noticed you were looking at him, and immediately stopped barking instructions to reach out and gingerly touch your cheek. “___? can you hear me?”

“‘m not unconscious. Just… crashing.” You mumbled, leaning into his touch.

Sans breathed a sigh of relief, some worry beginning to dissipate. “are you alright?”

“Apart from having taken a second beating in a week, fine.”

It seemed he didn’t appreciate your sarcasm right now. “seriously. you’re bleeding…”

“She had a wicked left hook. Has. I dunno, she kinda punched me in the face a bit.” You flexed your fingers, wincing at the dull ache. “Think I got her back for it.”

You became aware of a slight commotion at the door. It seemed most of the patrons were crammed into the opening, straining to catch a glimpse of what had happened. Grillby was at the head of the crowd, phone in an outstretched hand. You idly wondered how it didn’t burn up, but immediately corrected yourself. _Maaaaagic._

“The ambulance is on the way.” _Oh wow, Grillby actually talks?_

Sans nodded, not taking his eyes off you. “i’ll stick around in case that one wakes up. kinda doubt she will, but i’m not taking chances here.”

“Undyne’s close too!” another voice piped up. You vaguely recognised it as one of the dogs who’d greeted Sans on your way in, although you weren’t too sure which.

“Is the human ok?” someone else yelled.

“… i think so.” Brushing your hair out of the way, Sans dropped his voice to a murmur. “what the hell happened?”

“She was in here when I came in.” You shuddered, recounting the details. “Tried to get a cloth over my face, and I fought back. I-I didn’t mean to do that to her, but she left me no choice. She had a gun.”

You felt his hand still against you. “she deserves worse.” Sans said bitterly. Blinking, you noticed just how conflicted he looked. There was sadness… and something akin to regret. “did… did she say how they knew you’d be here?”

He was retreating back into himself, taking responsibility for putting you in danger. You’d seen this face before when you’d argued in the department store. It felt like eons ago. Had it really only been a few days?

Nevertheless, he wasn’t going to do this. _Not on my watch,_ you mentally snarled.

Pushing his hand away from your cheek, you reached out, burying your face into his chest. He enveloped you in a hug, gently cradling your body against him. Like you’d break if he wasn’t careful.

“You don’t get to blame yourself for this,” you breathed, feeling his hold on you tighten a little. “There is no way they could have known.”

Sans remained quiet, simply rocking you until the paramedics arrived. You shuddered as they removed the unknown woman, but the one that treated you with a sympathetic smile said she’d probably recover.

You were, as suspected, fine apart from a few superficial injuries. The blow to your jaw had only bruised it, and after a few painkillers you’d be fine. Physically, at least. Mentally, you were drained.

_Again._ You’d been attacked _again._ At least this time, you’d been able to defend yourself. You could feel good about that.

Eventually, Undyne bustled in, growling at people to move and give her space. Catching your eye, she smiled, but it was without her usual exuberance.

“She ok?” she asked Sans, crouching down in front of you.

You sighed. “Why am I always _she_ in these situations? I can answer for my damn self.”

Sans almost chuckled. “she’s fine, as you can hear.”

“Well, that’s good at least. Why d’you always end up in this kinda shit?”

“I don’t know, why does everyone have it out for me?”

“Still trying to figure that one out, punk.” Undyne glanced at the carnage. “Stars, what did you do?”

“Put her face through the sink,” you replied grimly.

“Holy shit.”

The room was quiet for a minute, the only noise coming from the crime scene photographer snapping photos. He’d come in with Undyne and had so far only been photographing the scene as a whole, but now he was focussing on details…

“Hey, this wouldn’t happen to be your phone?”

Everyone’s heads turned simultaneously. He was pointing at a slim grey rectangle, propped up on the remaining sink.

“… no,” you replied.

Undyne sprung up and, pulling on a pair of disposable gloves from her pocket, gently picked it up.

“It’s recording…”

Nausea rose up, choking you. “That’s… sick.”

“Sick it may be, but we have evidence!” She crowed, delightedly swiping back to the beginning of the footage.

It appeared to start moments before the attack, the muffled noises of your struggle and the woman’s grunt amongst the first things you heard. Cringing away, you returned your uninjured cheek to Sans’ chest, snuggling into him. It didn’t seem like he minded as the second you moved, he closed his arms around you.

“What the fuck, punk?” Cracking an eye open, you saw Undyne was staring at you with unabashed glee.

“What?” you grumbled.

“Ok, I know you said you could fight, but stars, this is like some MMA shit! Where did you learn to do that?” She turned the screen round, and you saw it was paused on the moment your foot had collided with the woman’s face. Feeling Sans tense up slightly, you resisted the urge to flinch.

“Yeah, uhhh. Got lucky, I guess?”

Undyne stared like you’d just sprouted a second head. You held eye contact with her. Surely she knew. It was on the first page of search results for your name, and she was in charge of your case. If she hadn’t even Googled you…

You saw the moment realisation hit her. Undyne’s eye widened, and she snapped her mouth shut. _Good._

“Well, she crossed the wrong human.” She mumbled, turning to bag up the phone. Sans had noticed the silent interaction between you but had thankfully chosen not to say anything. You knew he’d ask at some point, and even if he didn’t you’d give an explanation eventually. He deserved one.

But the thought of desperate eyes staring at you, a painted mouth pleading for you to run still burned in your mind. Time had dulled the pain, but it would never go away completely.

The gun still screamed at you from the cubicle floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeeeeell... backstory incoming!  
> I kinda hinted at this earlier, but... well, you'll see when we get there.  
> Also things are gonna get fluffy next time!


	19. You Make Me Want to Explain Myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I get started, I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 3000 HITS AND ALMOST 300 LIKES!!!!  
> Starting this piece, it was very much just a self-indulgent drabble, not meant to last more than a chapter, but now here we are at the halfway point of a fully planned story and I cannot believe how much this has blown up. Thank you for reading, and I hope this chapter lives up to expectations!

Silence scared you the most. It shouldn’t, but the absence of noise in the house was more than unsettling, even at this late hour.

Everyone had gone home, various security details arriving to escort them back to safety, although frankly you knew that only meant away from you at this point. _You_ were a risk. Sans and Papyrus had made it clear they weren’t going anywhere, but the thought of putting Frisk in danger just by being near them…

You shuddered, clutching the knife tighter under your pillow. Sleep had come and gone in short bursts, but now you simply lay there.

It would have been so easy for the woman to pull the trigger. She could have killed you with barely a twitch of her finger.

 _Nobody there for you to use as a shield this time,_ an annoying little voice in the back of your head said. You ignored it.

The woman’s words still resonated with you. _“You are very, very unlucky.”_ Did that mean she hadn’t been there for you? How could she have been. There was absolutely no way anyone could have known about the date, and you doubted someone like her would be spending their night off in a monster bar. Was she picking a random target?

In that case, you were glad she’d found you instead.

 _You shouldn’t be,_ the voice said. _It wasn’t any of your business._

Groaning, you sat up. It was too much. Lying still and letting yourself succumb to this shit was never a good idea, but it wasn’t like you could go out and get drunk like you normally did. Besides, that always lead to… unintended consequences. The thought sent a spike of heat through you.

The only person you might possibly want to have ‘unintended consequences’ with was right here, but you weren’t about to jeopardise whatever fragile relationship you’d begun just to forget yourself for a little while.

A glass of water sure as hell wasn’t going to have the same effect, but it might assist in clearing your head. You grabbed a pullover and headed out into the hall.

It seemed Sans was still up. There was a halo of light around one of the doors to his lab, shining out onto the darkened landing. It beckoned, but you knew he didn’t want people coming in unannounced. You just hoped he wasn’t doing anything too dangerous this late.

In fact… it wouldn’t hurt to stop by, would it? The part of you that craved company called out, willing you to just talk to him.

Well, if it was only words, there wouldn’t be any harm in it, right? You found yourself raising a hand to knock on the lit door. Gently, you tapped it twice. There was no answer. Maybe he’d fallen asleep. You really shouldn’t disturb him, but something _insisted._ Turning the handle, you slid inside, the door shutting with a click behind you.

It was dark for the most part; the light you’d seen from outside was a desk lamp that only illuminated a small area around the door. Despite that, you could still see relatively clearly.

The room had once been two separate bedrooms; the adjoining wall removed to extend the workable area. Machines and apparatus were dotted all over the place and you recognised a gigantic microscope, but to be honest, your knowledge stopped there. Further down, the shapes melded together, becoming amalgamated in the dark until a single tarp-covered object marked the end. Something in you said you should be scared of its eerie nature, but the only emotion you could feel was an unbearable sadness. This was not a happy room.

“ya really shouldn’t be in here.” Sans’ voice made you jump a little. It was somewhat muffled and, unable to hear exactly where it was coming from, you narrowed your eyes, seeking him out in the shadows.

“… I know.”

 _There._ You spotted a familiar slipper poking out from behind the furthest workbench. Was he on the floor?

“Are you alright?”

There was a pause. Then, a very unsteady voice replied. “i should be the one askin’ you.”

He was worrying you now. Edging forwards, you peered around the corner.

Sans was slumped, back flush against the wall and head in his hands. He was shaking, full body tremors that gave him the appearance of someone on the edge. On the edge of what, you didn’t know, but from what you could see, it looked like you weren’t the only one whose thoughts were too loud tonight.

Wordlessly, you sunk down next to him, bringing your knees to your chest and folding your arms around them. Sans initially flinched away, but after a moment of contemplation moved to lean into your side.

After a while, he spoke, voice a little more controlled. “trouble sleeping?”

“Yeah.”

“wanna talk about it?”

“Not yet. You?”

He sighed, finally moving his hands away. “same answers, though i don’t think i’ll ever wanna talk about it.”

“… Papyrus told me some of it. When we were fighting.” Unsure whether it was the right thing to say, you glanced sideways. He looked oddly relieved.

“should’a known.” His tone took on the soft quality it always did when he was talking about his younger brother. “he always wants to stop me from having to say it.”

“Your brother’s _really_ cool,” you murmured, cracking a small smile when Sans snorted.

“that n’ more. he’s the reason i’m not wasting my life on a dead-end project.”

You hadn’t heard that bit before. “How so?”

Sans paused. “… if i tell ya, it never leaves this room, ok?”

Nodding cautiously, you took his hand. “Promise.”

“alright… i’m not gonna talk about how things ended up like this. dunno how much paps told you but going over it ain’t an option tonight. all you need to know is that it, uhhh. messed me up.” You squeezed his hand and Sans shot you a sad smile. “i quit everything. work, socialising… heh, became more reclusive than alphys when mew mew 3 came out and that’s sayin’ something. i just… stopped. paps grew up knowing me as nothin’ more than lazy. but he didn’t give up. talked me into seein’ asgore over a little talent of mine and somehow i got a job from it. lasted for some time too.”

You shot him a confused look. “Talent? You mean stand up or something?”

Sans shrugged. “nah, but I was doin’ that at mettaton’s resort for a while.”

“Figures.” More than a little curious, you let him continue, swearing to ask about that particular topic later.

“an’ then a couple of months ago, he suggested i get my qualifications here which was probably the best idea he’s ever had. wouldn’t have met you otherwise.”

A light blue glow illuminated his cheeks. _Shit, he’s so cute._ You felt your own face heating up and turned your gaze to the floor.

“but the bit paps doesn’t know about is the fact that i wasn’t _just_ sitting around. i was building this heap of junk.” He kicked the tarp-covered object. It made a loud clanging sound and you realised it was another machine. “and as i said, it’s a dead-end project. there’s only one person in the world who knows how it works, an’ he’s… not around anymore.”

You were a little taken aback, but not as much by his story as something else.

“Why…” you swallowed. “Why are you telling me this? Surely if it’s something you haven’t even told your brother…”

Sans froze. You were beginning to think you’d said something wrong when he leant back, casting his eyes to the ceiling and letting out a quiet laugh.

“i genuinely have no idea. ya make me want to explain myself. is that enough of an answer?”

His words hurt in the best possible way. A happy confusion infecting your thoughts, making you lose sight of the morose topics you’d barely finished discussing.

You acted on impulse.

Leaning over, you pressed your lips against his cheek, not missing the sharp intake of breath as you touched.

“It’s enough,” you murmured, pulling back slowly.

You hadn’t expected Sans to turn, sliding a hand into your hair as he moved forwards. Seeking consent in your eyes, he obviously found it, as seconds later his mouth was on yours.

And _holy hell, where did those lips come from??_ Your open-mouthed groan was swallowed in his as you responded with fervour. It felt like he’d meant to keep things light, but as you grabbed the front of his hoodie, needing to get closer, the kiss exploded.

The way he moved against your lips was unlike anything you’d ever felt before; an effervescent quality that you were certain came from his magic. Even without that, his technique was addictive. You had to have more.

Breaking the kiss for a second, you twisted to fully face him. Sans’ face was bluer than you’d ever seen it, but his eyes were alight with a want that set your heart aflame. _That’s for me._ It was a powerful thought.

The second you were settled, you pulled him back in, and were pleasantly surprised when something wet brushed your lips. _Fucking hell._

And then you couldn’t think anymore because his tongue was working miracles against yours. You let him explore, eliciting moan after moan as he delved deeper and deeper into the kiss.

It was over far too soon, although with an embrace like that, an eternity wouldn’t be long enough to have your fill. Sans slowed down until he barely brushed your mouth, and the two of you just… hung there. You listened to his breaths as they slowed, matching his rhythm with your own. Until…

“Hey. So, um. D’you actually need to breathe?”

“… stars, ___. that’s the first thing you ask me?” He sounded mildly amused.

“I mean, yeah, you have a tongue. It’s… incredible, _but-,_ ” you interrupted his chuckle. “I’ve got a feeling the answer’s just gonna be magic.”

Sans grinned, releasing his hand from your hair. “ya got that right. as for breathing… short answer, yes. long answer, ask me about it tomorrow. got things i’d much rather be doin’ right now. if that’s ok with you,” he added quickly.

“What makes you think I’d have a problem with it?”

“i was hoping you’d say that.” Raising a hand to your face, he kissed you again.

And again. And again.

In fact, you only stopped when exhaustion carried you both to sleep, still curled up on the laboratory floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeeeell that happened...  
> Whoops, my hand slipped ;)


	20. WINK

You woke up with a crick in your neck. Groaning, you tried to raise a hand to rub it, only to realise that was easier said than done.

Because another hand still loosely held yours. And your head certainly wasn’t resting on a pillow.

You didn’t move, afraid to displace the gentle weight Sans was leaning on you. His cheek was against your hair, your own on his shoulder. Padded by his hoodie, you were pretty relaxed, just a little sore from the angle your neck had ended up in. Considering you’d fallen asleep sitting upright on the floor, you felt remarkably well-rested. Probably something to do with the company you kept these days.

Sans’ chest rose and fell; quiet sighs that reminded you of that stupid question you’d asked… right after you’d kissed. Well, you weren’t going to forget _that_ in a hurry. You didn’t know how much you’d needed it until it happened, but now imagining sharing that tender moment in any other way was rendered impossible by the memory of his lips against yours. _Woah, slow down girl. It’s too early for this._

It simply wouldn’t do to wake him up, so you decided to get comfy. Snuggling back into his shoulder, you carefully moved your free arm to cuddle closer.

_Ahh. That’s better._ You managed to adjust slightly, allowing your neck to stretch a little more. Sans shuffled in his sleep, bringing you nearer with a murmured moan. Totally content, you let your eyes drift shut, lazily nodding off.

“SANS?” A harsh rapping on the door jerked you from your daze. “ARE YOU IN THERE?”

Sans huffed, finally stirring. You saw the second realisation dawned on his face, breaking into a lazy grin as he saw you. It was contagious, and you soon found yourself smiling too.

“hi.” His voice was full of sleep; husky and soft.

“Hey.”

Papyrus picked that moment to burst through the door. “SANS, I SWEAR, IF YOU’VE FALLEN ASLEEP WORKING AGAIN…”

“‘m here bro,” he murmured, sticking a hand up above the workbench. Seeing it, Papyrus began to march over.

“WHY ARE YOU ON THE FLOOR? NEVERMIND THAT, I CAN’T FIND THE HUMAN ANYWHERE! WE NEED TO… SEARCH?”

Papyrus stopped in his tracks. You waved weakly.

“Hi Paps… sorry I worried you…”

For a beat of silence, he stood there, mouth hanging open. Suddenly, his entire demeanour changed; eyes lighting up with interest.

“NYEH HEH HEH! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE A ‘SLEEPOVER’. I WOULDN’T HAVE DISTURBED YOU.” He leant forwards dramatically. “WINK.”

Before either of you could reply Papyrus was gone, leaving the room in a cloud of laughter.

“… did he just say ‘wink’? Out loud?”

Sans ruffled your hair, chuckling when you pouted. “yeah. probably trying to get me back for all the times i walked in on him and mettaton ‘canoodling’. he’s probably ringin’ him riiiight now.” You jumped, as no sooner had he finished talking a shout came from downstairs. It was a faint “OH MY GOD!”

“What… never mind, I don’t wanna know.” Finally having a chance to look at the lab now daylight streamed through the windows, you saw it was a fair bit smaller than you’d initially thought. Far less threatening too. Pristine white walls and the tiled floor gave it the appearance of a professional setup, more like one of the university suites than what you’d first expected. Your eyes followed the boundaries of the room until they met the clock.

“Sans, is that clock right?” you asked tentatively.

He glanced up, wincing when it became apparent just how long you’d slept. “unfortunately. no wonder paps was so worried.”

Stretching, you got up. Considering where you’d slept it was a miracle your back wasn’t killing you now. “Weren’t we supposed to call Undyne an hour ago?”

“shit.” Sans grumbled but pulled himself to his feet. “she’s gonna be pissed. just hoping she’s got somethin’ good otherwise i’ll get an earful.”

“Well, better late than never.” Not wanting to crash back into yesterday’s events so soon, you were about to head back to your room to change when Sans slipped his hand into yours.

“where d’you think you’re going?” he murmured.

Heartbeat thrumming in your ears, you turned back to see that delightfully dark look you’d become accustomed to on his face. Taking a step closer, you reached out to caress his cheek. Sans’ eyes flickered in response.

“I haven’t the faintest clue anymore.”

Something about the reverence he took your mouth with made you lightheaded, eyelids fluttering as the slow kiss stole the air from your lungs. Had you been the jealous type, you would have wondered how much practice he’d had over the years to take your breath away in such a manner, but frankly you’d done more than your fair share too. Your lips were pliant under his, and you let him lead. Hands came up to bracket your jaw and you twisted closer, needing to feel him against you.

He nudged you back with a low growl. “if ya move like that, we’re _really_ gonna be late for that call.”

You hummed against his mouth, intrigued. Grinding your hips forwards, you purred: “Well, you know us students… always procrastinating _something._ ”

“undyne’s gonna kill me,” Sans groaned. He wasn’t stopping though, and it gave you the courage you needed to push a little more.

Resuming the kiss, you took his lip between your teeth and gently bit down.

His reaction was immediate. Control snapping, Sans clutched your sides, yanking you towards him. His bones dug into your flesh through the pullover, but it only served to intensify your heightened emotions as you crashed together. Your own hands roved down his back, and even though you didn’t quite know where to touch him, you couldn’t bring yourself to stop.

A surprised squeak turned into a moan when you felt him grab your ass. He was firm, kneading brazenly as you hung on for dear life.

Abruptly, he broke away.

“we-we gotta stop.” Your pulse still hammered in your ears and you couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed, but the hungry look he was giving you almost made up for it. “if we carried on, undyne wouldn’t be hearing from either of us for a week.”

Taking a moment to compose yourself, you glumly thought it was for the best. So far, the two of you hadn’t exactly had a ‘normal’ relationship, and you didn’t want to rush things. Still…

“Once this whole case thing is dealt with, I’ll be taking you up on that,” you muttered.

Sans laughed; an elated, breathy sound that made you immeasurably happy.

Because _he_ made you happy. His very presence was comforting, helping you forget so much of the heartache you’d been through recently.

Unfortunately, you were going to have to start thinking about other things very soon. Taking your hand, Sans lead you down the stairs.

Somehow, Papyrus had spread the news of your sleeping arrangements far and wide, and by the time you called Undyne, she knew.

_“Soooooo… you guys sleep well?”_

You didn’t miss the snicker in the background. Alphys, you presumed.

Sans sighed. “cut the crap, undyne. yesterday was rough.”

_“Well at least you had a better night.”_ She was definitely grinning. _“Anyway, business. The bitch is still under, but we ran her prints, and something came up.”_

“So she had a prior?”

_“… not exactly. About a year ago, an ‘Alicia Chester’ applied for the police force. She passed the physical but got rejected after her psych profile came back… disturbingly violent.”_

“shit. you guys dodged a real bullet there.” Sans squeezed your hand a little tighter. “sorry, ___. insensitive.”

You mouthed _it’s fine_ as Undyne continued.

_“Heh, you’re tellin’ me. I tracked down her PTO, and he recognised her face immediately. Said she was well trained but didn’t really think things through.”_

“It shows,” you murmured.

_“That’s not the weird part though. She doesn’t fit the profile of your average ‘Humanity’s Defence’ suspect. I’d been treating her like a potential terrorist, but her PTO said something that makes me think otherwise. Did a little digging, and apparently she’s a HUUUGE Perry Davis fan.”_

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

_“Wish I was, punk. Now, either you have the worst luck in the world and happened to stumble into someone who’d literally kill because a TV host got fired, or he has ties to something much bigger. At this point, I’ve got no idea which.”_

“… fuck.” Unsure of what to make of this new information, you glanced at Sans. His entire body radiated tension, jaw taught and minutely shaking.

“what do you suggest we do?” he asked. His voice was measured and calm, but a whole sea of emotions roiled beneath the surface.

_“Firstly, don’t go out in public. I get what you were doing yesterday should have been safe enough, but all the pro-monster sentiments you started have had a dangerous effect. The more humans are integrating with monsters, the harder it is to tell when someone’s a threat.”_

“So I’m under house arrest?” It was difficult not to let the irritation show. Even though it was for the best, you really didn’t like the idea of not being able to go _anywhere._

_“Nah. Just don’t take conventional transport. If ya get bored, get bone boy to take you to one of our houses. If no one knows you’re there, it should be safe enough.”_

“Guess that’s not too bad. I mean, if you’d be willing to take me.”

Sans nodded. “anytime. got an errand i need to run for alphys later actually, ya can come with.”

_“That’s a pretty good idea.”_ Undyne sounded upbeat. You’d assumed she wouldn’t be altogether happy with you placing risk on her wife like that, but it seemed she was confident in your security moving around. _“She really liked you, punk. We all do.”_

“I like you guys too.” Despite the unpleasantness of everything, a small smile broke out on your face. “Thanks for caring about me.”

_“That’s what friends are for. Gotta get back to work, but I’ll stop by at some point. I still want you to show me that move you pulled yesterday!”_

“Sure,” you replied.

Hanging up, you fell against Sans’ chest with a huff.

“Things just got even more complicated.”

“uh huh.” Stroking your hair, he eased back into the sofa, letting you seek comfort in his arms. “we’ll get through it. you’re not alone, y’know?”

You weren’t sure if he knew how much those words meant to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I do that? ;)  
> No chapter tomorrow, I've got an assignment due, but we should be back to our regularly scheduled programming on Friday.


	21. Justice for the Judge

Alphys’ lab was much like Sans’. Spacious and white, the only difference lay in the apparatus and various parts that littered the benches. Whereas the room you’d spent the night in had been relatively devoid of clutter, not a square inch of the workspace here was clear. Half of the room was filled with what looked like electrical components; computer parts and wires thrown all over the place. You knew from prior conversations that Alphys had built Mettaton’s body, so it made sense that she specialised in robotics.

So, it came as a complete surprise that the remaining space was packed with flowers.

Golden blossoms spilt out of planters, tubes running from their bases to connect with machines. An ever-present hum emanated from them, and you found yourself wondering if the sound was really just electricity. It felt like the room was alive with something beyond your comprehension.

You could have sworn you saw one of the flowers move.

Alphys yelped, dropping a test tube when the two of you popped into existence. It glowed blue just before touching the ground, returning to her hand.

“i _did_ text this time,” Sans said, shrugging at the downright murderous glare she shot him.

“H-have y-you considered kn-knocking?” Her voice was a little shrill, but the way she sighed in exasperation as the tube was placed in a rack gave you the impression this was somewhat routine. “O-oh, hi ___. I heard what happened yesterday, a-are you ok?”

You smiled warmly. “I’m fine, just a little banged up. Sans got me some monster candy and it helped a lot.”

“C-cool.” It seemed she didn’t know what to say next, wringing her hands nervously.

“so, how’s work?” Sans asked, smoothly changing the topic.

Alphys lit up. “G-good! I th-think the CORE modifications should h-hold this time, at least until th-the UN see it. A-and I won’t have to m-make a sp-speech this time. Energy efficiency h-here we come!”

“great. but how’s… _other_ work?” You didn’t miss the worried look that came over Alphys’ face. Her eyes darted between the two of you for a moment, then she sighed.

“N-not as g-good.” She gestured at the nearest flower. “Th-this is subject 247b. No matter wh-what I do, it won’t react t-to the tests, even with the ‘fresh’ DT Frisk d-donated.”

“thought so. ya tried perseverance yet?”

Alphys rolled her eyes. “Y-you think I have access to that stuff anymore? Heh, I’d h-have to ask for donations, a-and wouldn’t that g-go down well with the public.”

“Donations for what?” you asked.

It seemed Alphys may have forgotten you were there. A mixture of surprise and excitement crossed her features. “A-ah, um, I’m r-running some experiments with s-souls, a-and I need-,”

“sorry to burst your bubble, alph,” Sans interrupted. “but she ain’t gonna be able to help.”

“O-oh.” Alphys squinted at you, pushing her glasses up to see better. “I kinda assumed sh-she might be…”

“nah.”

“You know I have no idea what you’re talking about, right?” And it was making you more than a little annoyed. “What do you mean I won’t be able to help?”

Sans reached out to squeeze your hand. “sorry. forgot. we’re talking soul types, and yours ain’t what she’s looking for.”

Alphys turned back around to busy herself with whatever she’d been doing with that test tube when you came in. You were certain you could see a light blush on her face as she tried her best to ignore you. “How d’you know?”

“well…” Sans scratched the back of his skull. “ya remember when i told you asgore gave me a job a while ago?”

“Yeah?” Saying you were confused would be an understatement. “I thought you meant you were a court jester or something.”

He snorted. “nah, although sometimes it felt like that. long story short, most monsters can only see souls if they physically draw them out. i can visualise them just by lookin’ at someone.”

You were stunned. “What… you mean like…”

“yeah.” he pointed at the centre of your chest. “yours is right there. it’s uhh, actually kinda distracting really.”

“… how so?”

“well uhh…” _Is he…_ _sweating?_ “let’s just say i find your soul particularly attractive.”

Blushing, you glanced down at your chest. Part of you was a little disappointed when you couldn’t see anything, but you knew it was stupid to expect something. “Why?”

“heh… what’s with all the questions?” Leaning in close, he whispered in your ear. “i’ll tell you when we get back. this ain’t the kinda conversation i wanna have with alphys within earshot.”

The way he said it made a shiver run down your spine. You nodded.

Turning back to her, Sans continued. “i guess until we find another lead, its back to square one.”

Alphys sighed. “Y-yeah. Frisk isn’t going to like that.”

“they’ll understand. it’s not your fault.”

“I-I know. It’s just so frustrating.”

You could have sworn you heard another, much higher pitched voice murmur “you’re telling me”, but when neither of the others reacted, you decided you must have imagined it.

*

It turned out that Sans had a lot more to discuss with Alphys, most of which you didn’t understand. She’d kindly let you watch a few episodes of an anime you’d never heard of on a computer whilst they discussed thermodynamics and the practical applications of the CORE that would be revealed to the UN.

It was pretty interesting, but the technical jargon they were throwing around made your head hurt and soon enough, you were totally immersed in the anime.

Halfway through the third episode, Sans called your name.

“welp, time to get going.”

You hit pause. “Do everything you needed to?”

“yeah. ‘m trying to keep my name outta this as much as possible, but this should push the government to recognise the core as monsterkind’s first achievement in advancing science on the surface.” He grinned. “could mean a lot for those of us tryin’ to get into stem careers up here.”

“That’s great!”

“Y-yeah!” Alphys was smiling too, much less nervously than she had been earlier. “We’ve worked r-really hard on this, a-and hopefully wh-when its announced there’ll be m-more money for us to work on th-things with too.”

“I’m sure there will be.” Standing up, you walked back over to Sans. “Thanks for letting me use your computer. I’ll be sure to finish that series when I have time.”

“O-oh,” she was turning pink again. “I’m g-glad you liked it! It gets m-much better after the relationship between the undying guy a-and the fairy princess is revealed, but y-you won’t have met them yet, and oh, the whole f-fighting festival arc is pretty cool too. Uhh, whoops, spoilers! But what kind of shonen doesn’t h-have a fighting festival arc, I mean-.” Realising she was rambling, Alphys squeaked, clapping a claw over her mouth. “I uhh, did it again, h-huh?”

Sans patted her shoulder. “hey, ya stopped yourself this time.”

“Uhh, guess so. S-sorry, ___. I g-get a little too invested sometimes.”

“It’s fine. We’ll have to talk more once I’ve finished it.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah!”

“O-ok.” It seemed like her embarrassment from going off like that was fading, and after saying her goodbyes, Alphys retreated to her workbench with a small smile.

“That went well,” you said as soon as Sans teleported you both away.

“mostly,” he replied, leading you towards the living room. “hey, paps?” he called out as you opened the door. There was no answer. Frowning, he checked his phone. “ah. seems papyrus went to go see frisk for a bit.”

“So, we’re alone?” You flopped onto the sofa, pulling Sans down next to you.

“until undyne comes over, yeah.” After pressing a small kiss against your mouth, he pulled away a little. “guess i owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I know souls are kind of personal for you guys.”

Sans smiled, moving a strand of hair out of your face. “nah, it’s fine. it’s about your soul anyway, and ya have a right to know.”

“If you’re sure…”

Taking your hand in his, he began.

“so how much d’you know about souls?”

“Uhh, that they exist?”

He laughed at that. “welp, it’s something. guess i’ll start with the basics then. your soul is the culmination of your being. normally, it stays in there and no one can see it.” He poked the centre of your chest, winking. “the exception bein’ me, of course.”

“Of course,” you mumbled. Sans just grinned.

“when ya check someone’s soul, you can see various things about them, including how dangerous they are. ya can only really check a soul if you bring it out with magic. mostly it’s done in combat… there are some exceptions, but they’re not really important right now.”

Something about the way he said it made you feel like you should be blushing. Sans cleared his throat.

“anyway, since i don’t need to physically bring someone’s soul out to read its stats, it kinda made me an asset to the king.”

“So what, you were a judge?”

“if ya want to call it that. i kept an eye on things, makin’ sure no one dangerous got through. easy, for the most part.” The look on his face said otherwise, but for now you ignored it. If Sans didn’t want to tell you, it was none of your business.

“What’s up with soul types then?”

He seemed a little relieved at the change in topic. “well, here’s where stuff gets a little complicated. human souls and monster souls are pretty different. because monsters are made up of magic, we don’t have the same types as you. but humans have seven traits, and the most dominant one colours their soul to match. light blue for patience, purple for perseverance, orange for bravery, yellow for justice, blue for integrity, green for kindness, and red for determination.”

“Ah. And you can see that?”

Sans nodded. “kinda helps me make decisions about trusting people easier.”

_Well that explains a lot._ Why he’d invited you to stay here despite barely knowing you. Why he’d taken you to the queen instead of a hospital.

You had one question left.

“… what does my soul look like?” you asked.

Sans exhaled sharply, like he’d been waiting for you to ask that question for the longest time. “i… i can show you if you want.”

“You’d do that?”

He looked a little conflicted. “i could… but only if ya really wanted to see it. it’s an intimate thing.”

_Oh._ Frankly, you weren’t that surprised. “How intimate?”

“well if there’s no touching involved… probably about the same as taking your clothes off.”

You thought about it for a minute, before coming to the conclusion that you shouldn’t be thinking it over at all. Despite your slight reluctance to jump right into bed with Sans, you’d done some relatively raunchy things already that day. What was one more?

And you desperately wanted to see your soul.

“Alright.”

Sans’ eyes widened. “are you serious?”

“Why not? And I can tell I’m not the only one here who wants to have a look.” Winking at him, you chuckled when he blushed.

“uhh, ok. now?”

“Yes, dummy.” You pressed a quick kiss against his cheek. “Whenever you feel like it.”

“right.” He swallowed. Quickly swivelling so he fully faced you, Sans centred one hand over your chest. “it’s gonna feel a little weird, just don’t fight it.”

You smiled. “Got it.”

A flicker of blue lit up his left eye, sending chills through you. The same aura spread to cover his outstretched fingers, and a sudden spike of pressure filled your lungs. It only lasted for a second before there was a quiet pop.

A warm, yellow light filled the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there's a bit of confirmation~  
> Kudos to everyone who guessed Reader had a yellow soul....  
> And a bonus point to anyone who can guess the shameless anime plug in this chapter （⌒▽⌒）  
> Oh, and before anyone asks, my HC is that perseverance is the most similar to determination, just a milder strain that might not mess up a fake soul as bad >:)


	22. Waaaay Past Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so there's gonna be some important stuff in the notes at the end this time. Please read them!!!

“Woah,” you breathed, staring at the golden heart that floated in front of you.

You hadn’t expected it to be so cartoonish looking, although then again it wasn’t like you’d put that much thought into what the embodiment of your soul would look like.

It was almost translucent, edges undefined and gauzy where they streamed out into trails of light. The only part of it that seemed real was a white line that ran down the centre, almost bisecting the heart completely. It was solid whereas the rest didn’t seem to be made up of anything tangible.

“What’s…” _that?_ The words died as you ripped your eyes away from it to look at Sans.

He was transfixed. The expression on his face was so tender, so awestruck that you wondered was this truly the equivalent of just exposing yourself? Somehow it felt much deeper than that.

“you… are the most beautiful thing i’ve ever seen,” he murmured suddenly.

You could have argued. Part of you felt it didn’t deserve his praise. The adoration he was staring at your soul with was wasted.

“don’t. you are.”

“Y-you can see what I’m thinking?”

Sans exhaled sharply. “no, but it just… feels off. like you were frowning or somethin’.”

“Noted.” Now he was at least somewhat aware of you speaking to him, you repeated your question. “Sans, what’s that white line down the middle?”

He didn’t answer straight away, and for a second you thought he was distracted again. But when he replied, it was with a great and deep sadness.

“a scar. somethin’ really bad happened to you emotionally, and you’re still healing.” His eyes flickered up to meet yours. “i can’t see what it is if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Releasing a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding, you grimaced. “Figures.”

“ya don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

You chuckled, remembering you’d said exactly the same thing not five minutes ago. “No, but I will. It’s important.” _And being as Undyne already knows it’s kinda unfair._ “Soo, yellow. That’s-,”

“justice.” He cut you off, but the reverence that he said the word with more than made up for it. “and i know i’ve got more questions to answer, but can we put your soul away first? i can’t think.”

You nodded, feeling a little pressure as the heart floated back inside your chest. Feeling a little sad at its disappearance, you were surprised when you heard Sans sigh.

“Sans…?”

“give me a second,” he murmured, dragging a hand down his face. “fuck.” The way he said it certainly wasn’t unpleasant.

After he’d seemingly composed himself, you were surprised to see an expression of embarrassment on his face.

“err, sorry about that. stars, that wasn’t what i was expecting.” Sans seemed to be looking everywhere but at you, nervously avoiding your eyes.

“Hey, what’s with the apology?” you asked. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

He flushed. “i… stared. s’ not exactly polite.”

“I thought you could see my soul anyway.”

“i can, uhh, visualise it. but i can’t see it. not like that.”

Sans seemed to be teetering on the edge of telling you something. You decided to give him a shove.

“So what did you mean when you said my soul was distracting?”

“i… ugh. this is gonna sound really dumb, no matter how i say it.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, stubbornly staring at the floor.

“Tell me.”

“you’re really bright,” he suddenly murmured. “even when your soul's away. i dunno why. never seen anyone who’s soul actually… manifests like yours before. can’t really ask anyone about what it means, cuz as i said, i’m an exception. you’re just… bright.”

Sans looked so sad it hurt. “I don’t get it? Why is that embarrassing?”

He finally looked at you. “because it makes me feel things i shouldn’t after only knowing ya for a week. things that should scare you off. and i can’t leave ya alone because of it.”

Sans’ words hit you square in the chest, stealing your breath. “Th-things like what?” You managed to choke out.

“i feel like this isn’t just a crush anymore. like i’d be missing part of myself if you left.” He paused. “like i want to do things to you that would make you beg not to go.”

 _God._ You shuddered, anticipation coursing through your body, because wasn’t that exactly how _you_ felt? You’d spent a fair amount of time wondering why you trusted him, giving yourself reasons not to sleep with him just yet. And for what, a ‘normal’ relationship?

You were waaaay past normal at this point and wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Sans.” You reached a hand out to caress his cheek. Feeling him tense, you almost cursed. _Why did he feel like he had to hide?_ His eyes were still locked with yours, but they looked so defeated. He genuinely thought this was embarrassing?

So you threw caution out the window.

“Fuck it,” you muttered, slamming your lips against his mouth. It was a little weird, because you took him totally by surprise and just ended up kissing his teeth. Like that would stop you.

“You don’t… get… to decide… what’s gonna _scare me off,_ ” you growled between kisses. “ _I_ do… and that’s… nothing _._ ”

“y-you’re not… scared?” Sans stammered, apparently having a little difficulty processing what just happened.

“Why the fuck would I be?” And then gentler: “I’m pretty sure I made it clear this morning that I would very much like to jump your bones.” Ignoring his cute splutter, you continued. “You make me happier than I’ve been in a very long time. Soul stuff or not, does that sound like ‘just a crush’ to you?”

“uhh… guess not… did you really just make a pun?” A small blush was beginning to spread across his cheekbones. You took it as a good sign, pulling back to cuddle into his side.

“Why not? As good a time as any.”

He snorted. “stars, frisk was right. you really do wanna bone me.”

Scowling, you poked him. “Frisk shouldn’t even know what that means.”

“hey, don’t look at me! i sure as hell didn’t teach them that.” Sans threaded a hand through your hair, making you sigh. “i bet _you_ said shit like that when you were a teenager.”

“… yeah,” you mumbled. God his hand felt good against your scalp.

You were sort of dozing off when he spoke again. “so, what does this make us?”

It was a question you weren’t quite prepared for. _Whatever you want to be._ “We don’t have to call it anything if you don’t want to…” you paused. “… but I’d like to try being your girlfriend.”

“huh,” he said, sounding faintly amused. “that, uhhh. sounds good. so i’m your boyfriend?”

You grinned. Sans really was a bit of a goof when things came down to it. “Yeah.”

“cool… _cool._ ”

Later, when Undyne showed up and found you still cozied up against his side, lazy grins stretched over both of your faces, she nearly turned around and walked straight back out. It wasn’t really a surprise she had a set of keys, but if the look she was giving you right now was anything to go by, she regretted having one.

“Ugh, you punks stop that cute shit right now,” she flung her bag onto an armchair, following it down.

Sans glared at her. “oh, like you and alphys don’t cuddle all the time?”

“NGAAAHH! THAT’S THE PROBLEM!” Punching a cushion, she glared at you. “Every time our schedules match up for once, _you_ go and get threatened or whatever. When I finally figure out what’s going on, Humanity’s Defence are gonna have biiiig problems on their hands.”

“like what, a sexually-frustrated fish?” Realising he’d gone a bit far when Undyne tried to suplex the TV, Sans immediately backtracked. “anyway, you found anything new?”

Putting down the screen, she scowled. “Not a damn thing. Searched the phone properly, got records from her provider. Nada. Chester may have been using a burner, but that’s something I’ve gotta find first. We got a warrant to check her house, and I’ve got Dogamy and Dogaressa scoping it out. If anyone’s gonna find something, it’ll be those two.” Sans looked satisfied at that, and Undyne turned her attention to you again. “Now, being as I’m so _obviously_ frustrated and my wife is working… gimmie your best shot, punk!” She cracked her knuckles.

You knew exactly what she was talking about but played dumb. “Not sure Alphys would approve of that. Besides, I’m a taken woman.” You nuzzled Sans’ side. He laughed, but you could see his face flushing blue.

“I think I’m gonna vomit,” Undyne growled. “I meant show me that damn move you pulled the other day.”

“Ohhh,” you smirked. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

The two of you found some space, and you willed your limbs to move in the same way they had when you’d been fighting for your life. You managed to repeat the kick, not quite as high as it had been, but still impressive considering you weren’t trying very hard.

“That’s insane!” Undyne looked genuinely impressed, folding her arms across her chest. “Like, no offence punk, but you don’t seem the athletic type.”

“That’s what makes it effective.”

“So what, MMA, kickboxing…?”

There was no harm telling her, and Sans was going to find out soon anyway.

“Six years of Taekwondo, various self-defence classes.” You paused. “A lot of arms training.”

“Stars punk, it fucking shows. Why-,” she realised how irrelevant the question was as the first word left her lips. “Ah. Yeah. So, you got anymore cool tricks like that?”

You grinned. “How many d’you want to see?”

“As many as you can.”

As you went about showing Undyne exactly what that entailed, you realised Sans was awfully quiet. Every so often, you’d glance back and notice he was just staring at you.

He knew that Undyne knew something, that was for sure. And it wasn’t _fair._ He’d told you so much today, coming clean with some stuff he _really_ hadn’t wanted to say.

You owed him that explanation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok....... so as I said at the top, big thing coming today. A few minutes after this goes live, I'll be posting a companion piece. I've started working on something from Sans' perspective, and I'm gonna post chapter one today. I'm not sure if it's going to be every chapter from his perspective yet, but I'll just have to see how it goes.  
> I hope to see some of you over on 'You Had Me at Yellow'!


	23. Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Gun violence and some serious survivor's guilt.  
> Have fun lovelies :)

By the time Undyne left, Papyrus was back to fuss over the two of you again. It seemed Frisk had been more than pleased to find out what he’d walked in on that morning, and now the taller skeleton seemed to be keeping his ears (?) open for potential titbits to feed back. It was leaving you little to no time to talk without someone overhearing.

You’d ended up going the entire day without having the conversation you so sorely needed.

You were… conflicted, to say the least. There was no way Sans wouldn’t understand. Undyne had. You were pretty sure she’d known since she took your case on board, and that she’d respected your boundaries enough not to bring it up was testament to her friendship.

Or her commitments as an officer of the law. You sighed, angrily tugging your shirt off. You were making a big deal out of nothing. Even, ugh, Perry Davis hadn’t thought it was interesting enough to drag you through the dirt with.

But then again, the article that had been run was no more than two sentences reciting facts. You could still remember it, word for word.

Your shirt hung limply in a tightened fist. It wasn’t right that that night still had this kind of power over you. It had been over six years, although you’d never had to tell someone what had happened since then. Everyone had just _known._

You supposed that was why this was so difficult.

A quiet knock at the door had you scrambling for a clean shirt. “One second!” you called, yanking an oversized black tee on.

When you opened the door, you didn’t quite know how to feel. Sans stood behind it, eyes wide in surprise. “o-oh…” he stuttered.

“What?”

“i actually forgot you still had that shirt. it’s, uhh, mine.”

Sure enough, when you glanced down you saw that you’d grabbed the shirt he’d leant you on your first night in the house. For whatever reason, it hadn’t occurred to you that it might have been _his._

You suddenly became extremely attached to it.

“I’m invoking girlfriend privileges. It’s mine now.” You watched the surprise blossom into a wide grin when you said ‘girlfriend’.

“heh. i wasn’t gonna ask for it back anyway, looks way too good on you.”

_It would look much better on the floor. You know, once you-_ ok, you were ending that thought there. Sans was here to talk, and you weren’t about to let yourself get distracted that easily. _Yeah, but-_

“Why don’t you come in?” you said quickly, avoiding thinking for too long.

“sure.” You shut the door behind him and made your way over to the bed. It was inevitable really, there were no chairs or other places to sit. Sans sat down beside you.

But still you hesitated. How did you even start talking about this kind of thing? “… Is Papyrus in bed?” _Damn._ That was stupid.

“yeah. out like a light too.” Sans rolled his eyes. “and believe me, i know when he’s faking it. back when he and mettaton started dating, he’d pretend to snore just to get me ta stop reading his bedtime story so i’d leave and they could text. never had the heart to tell him that shouting ‘zzzzzz’ is not how most people sound when they’re asleep.”

“I mean, you literally _don’t_ have a heart.” You found yourself chuckling a little. “Why didn’t he just tell you to stop reading him stories?”

“‘s our thing.” Sans shrugged. “paps may not shout about it, but he values brother time.”

“It’s cute.” And then you realised. “… you’re trying to put me at ease, aren’t you?”

He just smiled.

It had worked surprisingly well. Listening to him talk about his brother had relaxed you somewhat. Sure, that didn’t mean you weren’t still nervous, but you felt more confident.

“I… guess there’s no point stalling anymore.” You stood up. “I’ve got something to tell you. Well, show you would be more accurate.”

Sans flushed a little as you took the hem of the shirt in hand. The second you raised it to expose your right hip, the confusion left his eyes, replaced by something much darker.

“You know what did that?” You pointed at the puckered scar.

“that’s a bullet wound…” he trailed off. “how-.”

But you didn’t let him finish. Pulling the shirt up even further, you showed him the three marks that covered the expanse between your navel and sternum. The two below your breast.

Sans was eerily silent the entire time. You started to wonder if this was a good idea after all, but the moment you dropped the fabric to cover the scars again, his eyes snapped up to yours.

“I was shot,” you bit out. “A little way over six years ago.” _Six bullets for six years._

“… that’s a lot of damage.” His voice was strained, hands clenching.

Even now, you couldn’t take someone’s pity. “Less than it should have been.” Turning away, you crossed over to the window. You were fighting back the urge to just forget what you were saying and bury your face in his hoodie, but that wouldn’t help anything.

_He deserves to know what a monster I am._

“I had a friend,” you murmured, staring out at the dark sky. “Camilla Neale. She was the only person I really liked growing up. We were like sisters; always hanging out after class, going to the movies… she _got_ me. And then…” exhaling sharply, you turned to meet his gaze again. “I shouldn’t be here. Camilla should.”

You saw the moment Sans understood. The little crease of confusion between his eye sockets melted into nothingness and his jaw went slack.

“… you were eighteen?” he finally ground out.

You nodded. “I was eighteen. We stayed out a little later than we should have, celebrating the end of high school. It wasn’t in a rough part of town. We thought we’d be safe.” Forcing out a ragged breath, you shuddered. “Instead, we found a guy who put a gun to my head, demanded we give him cash.”

In retrospect, it was obvious why he’d picked you. Camilla was tall and graceful. She looked athletic, did track and softball for the school team. You didn’t meet any such requirements. An easy target.

“Camilla threw everything she had down the alley. She was smart. He turned to watch it go, and the gun moved away with him. I got so caught up getting myself out of his grip, I caught his ski mask and ripped it off.”

You’d felt it building, felt the pain surfacing as you tried to keep a straight face. But the second you remembered the feel of that coarse fabric catching against your struggling hands, you were there again. Streetlights. A silver gun. The kid’s frightened face as you looked back in horror. His arm arcing up towards you quicker than you could react.

Camilla.

You didn’t realise you’d just been staring off into space, didn’t realise you were crying until Sans touched you.

Meeting his eyes, you saw you’d been wrong before. He didn’t pity you.

Somehow, you knew you should have expected it, but the sheer concern and affection Sans was looking at you with was somehow more overpowering than your memory. You burrowed your face into his chest, breathing him in a poor attempt to ground yourself again. Seeing you needed a moment, Sans lifted you, bringing you back to the bed to sit in his lap. All the while, you hung on to the front of his hoodie.

“ya don’t have to-,”

“No,” you growled, cutting him off. “I do. Because I have to tell _someone._ The news article… even the official report… they didn’t say what she did. What I…”

When Sans brought a hand up to stroke your hair, you wanted to wail, to scream how you didn’t deserve this. Instead, you just whimpered, clinging closer to savour his touch.

_Disgusting,_ that little voice in your head said. It was getting increasingly difficult to blot out.

“It was just a kid. H-he’d stolen his dad’s gun, barely even understood how it worked. All he knew was that I’d seen his face. It…” You took another breath. Even after all these years, you couldn’t get the sensation out of your head. The ripping. “It was an extended mag. He just squeezed the trigger until there was nothing left. I took six bullets. Camilla took eleven.”

The sobs were coming. You only had moments before talking was sure to be impossible, and as much as Sans was helping right now, if you didn’t finish quick, you wouldn’t.

_But…_

“But she shouldn’t have. He was only aiming for me. Camilla pushed me out the way.” _She died before she hit the ground. It was all his fault. His fault, HIS FAULT._ “Sans, he was just a kid. Frisk’s age. And I still…” _want him to suffer._

“i get it.” His voice was muffled against your shoulder, but you could hear a little tremor as he spoke. “___, i get it. more than you know.”

_No, he doesn’t,_ the voice crooned. You were too tired to fight it, silent sobs breaking you apart. _He’ll never understand. You would have killed him. You still want to. And now Sans probably thinks you’re insane._

_But he’s still here._ Sans hadn’t walked away. He hadn’t pushed you off or said you were making a big deal out of nothing. He was holding you, gently rocking as you cried and cried.

He cared, and for now that was enough to give you strength.

Obviously, you knew he _cared,_ but his touch said far more than words ever could. Once your tears subsided, you pulled back to murmur an embarrassed: “thank you.”

Sans swept his thumb under your eye, wiping away a stubborn tear. “thanks for feelin’ comfortable enough to tell me.” He pressed a gentle kiss to your lips.

You sighed contentedly when he pulled away, suddenly feeling a hell of a lot lighter than you had in a very long time. And so much more drained.

Sans chuckled as you let out a long yawn. “something’s tellin’ me you need a good night’s sleep.”

“Mmhmm.” You didn’t argue when he stood up, lifting you against his chest to carry you to bed. Setting you down, he pulled the covers up around you, gently moving a stray lock of hair behind your ear.

“g’night ___.” You could see he didn’t want to leave.

Oh man, this playing around had to stop. You’d already fallen asleep on him twice, and after what you’d just shared…

“Stay?” you murmured.

You could have sworn you heard him sigh in relief. “was beginning to think you’d never ask.”

It was funny, you thought, giggling quietly as Sans wrapped an arm around your waist, peppering your exposed neck with little kisses as he settled in. Why had you been trying to make this ‘normal’?

This intimacy was far better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!  
> NEXT CHAPTER IS GONNA BE WHAT EVERYONE WHO CLICKED ON THIS BECAUSE OF THE EXPLICIT RATING HAS BEEN WAITING FOR!  
> Ahem, sorry... I'm a little excited to write my first trip to the bone zone, in case you couldn't tell ;)


	24. You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CAUTION: This chapter is entirely smut... and entirely skipable at your discretion. DLDR and all that.  
> Those of you brave enough to read on... have fun, there's plenty more where this came from ;)

“mmnnn…”

You awoke to a gentle breath playing with your hair, a hand curled around your midriff, and a huge smile on your face.

_He stayed._

You’d told him everything, and he’d stayed. Last night, it had felt like you were clinging onto threads, trying to make sense of the mess in your head. But Sans had stayed, holding you when you needed it most. _He really is something,_ you thought, a bemused smile stretching over your face. Although in all honesty, you hadn’t even entertained the though Sans might be a cuddler.

Being careful not to stir him, you reached out to grab your phone from the bedside table. Despite your best efforts, the charging cable made a little noise as it clattered down, but it seemed not to wake him.

You grinned and opened the camera app. Snapping a quick selfie of the two of you, you were about to shut your eyes again, when a rough voice purred: “what’re you doing?”

“Umm…” Caught in the act. Sans pressed a sleepy kiss just below your ear. “Nothing?”

“didn’t look like nothin’…” God, you could feel him smirking as he worked his way down to the curve of your shoulder, nudging your t-shirt aside to nuzzle the skin there. “it looked like you were sneaking a photo…”

“So what if I was- ah!”

You hadn’t been expecting the little nibble he gave you, but the feeling of your pulse between your thighs was clear evidence that you didn’t mind. “hmm, then i’m gonna hafta take a little somethin’ in return.”

Sans’ hand ghosted up to your shoulder, pushing you gently onto your back. Leaning over you, he swept the hair from your eyes before lowering his mouth to yours.

 _Morning kisses are an honest-to-God gift,_ you thought, humming as you twined your arms behind his head.

He shifted, pressing you into the mattress as his wandering lips made their way down the column of your throat to drag his teeth across your clavicle. It felt indescribably good, and you quietly moaned his name. Hearing it, Sans chuckled, the sound muffled against your skin until he pulled away.

“there,” he murmured.

Saying you were confused would be an understatement. “There what?”

There was a dreadful mischief twinkling in his eyes. “i got my payment. your beautiful voice, sayin’ my name.”

Now that was just unfair. “You utter tease.” Sans seemed to think your indignation was hilarious, collapsing down onto the bed with a breathy laugh. Unfortunately, even when he was pissing you off like that, you couldn’t help finding him all the more attractive.

And that was when a wicked, absolutely-definitely-no-good idea started to form. Oh, you were going to have fun with this…

Sans stopped laughing the second you straddled him.

“uhhh…”

Pressing your index finger against his mouth, you smirked. “My turn.” To your credit, he looked somewhere between terrified and extremely aroused. All traces of tiredness were gone, wiped away the second you pressed your mouth to his vertebrae.

His groan was unlike any sound you’d ever heard him make; a choked, delicious noise that you immediately committed to memory. Because fuck, _you_ did that.

“you’re, ah, really going to town there,” he managed eventually, gulping as you inched down in the same manner he had.

“Just returning the favour.” You winked, tugging the neck of his shirt away so you could gain more access.

“ffffuck,” Sans gasped when you ran your tongue along his sternum. He was so pent up, clutching at the covers in a poorly disguised attempt not to touch you. To take what you knew he wanted.

You’d speculated about what sex with Sans would be like more than you’d care to mention, although much like his lips and tongue had surprised the hell out of you, the realisation that something hard had just materialised against your butt came as a pleasant bonus. _Heh. Bone-us._ Grinding back, you watched his expression change to something far needier.

“Sans…” you murmured, arching a brow as he seemingly came back to his senses. “What is that?”

Sans stared at you for a few long seconds before chuckling. It seemed like he’d arrived at some sort of decision, as before you could react, his entire demeanour changed. The heat was still there, but that somewhat playful glint had returned to his eyes.

“i’ll show you if you let me take it from here.”

 _God yes. Just take me. Please._ In any other situation, you could have laughed at your change in behaviour, but as soon as he said those words, all you could do was nod.

A flash of blue and suddenly Sans was on top again, lips on yours with a frantic urgency. Like he couldn’t get close fast enough. You barely even registered that he’d used magic to flip you because his hands were everywhere but the places you needed them most.

 _Fuck._ He sure as hell wasn’t trying to play passively now, and you returned every touch with one of your own.

“this’s gotta go,” he growled, grabbing the hem of your shirt. You raised your torso off the mattress, lifting your arms as he threw it somewhere. “now that’s what i’m talking about.”

You silently thanked yourself for having the presence of mind to take off your bra after everything yesterday. “Like what you see?”

“fuck yes.” Sans’ hands hovered above your breasts, and you were about to ask if he was just going to stare when he abruptly sunk his face in between them, making a drawn out rasping noise.

“… did you just motorboat me?”

“… maybe…”

It was impossible to keep your laugh down. Despite everything, he was still joking around. It was weirdly endearing.

“you’re cute as hell when you laugh.” Taking advantage of your distraction, he finally covered a breast, lightly tracing the underside with his thumb. It felt good, but still not enough. “heh. you’re also very squishy in aaaaall the right places.”

“Sa _aaans._ ” Your complaint turned into a strangled moan when he leant down, unexpectedly running his tongue over your nipple to draw it into his mouth. Twisting the covers in your hands, you tried to arch closer, but Sans just pushed you back, switching to lavish the other side.

Everything was too hot; you, the air… Sans… _Damn it._ You were inching closer to something, every touch carrying you further, but it wasn’t enough. He seemed to sense this, and after one last hard suck, pulled back to look at you.

“tell me what you want.”

“Sans, please,” you begged, unable to find the words to express where you needed him. Apparently, that wasn’t the right answer.

“tell me.” He was enjoying this way too much, loving the way you stared up at him with heavy-lidded eyes. You growled in annoyance, but before you could do anything else, his lips collided with yours and you felt his hand begin to move down.

Too soon he stopped, pulling away to smirk at you whilst his fingers teased your waistband. “what do you want?”

What didn’t you want? Everything, _anything_ he’d give you. _I just want-_

“You.” You hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but the way Sans’ eyes widened meant you couldn’t regret it.

“fuck,” he muttered, suddenly sitting up to pull off his own shirt. You’d wondered what went on under there, why he always seemed to fill out the clothes he wore without the required parts. It seemed the answer was simple.

“Magic,” you breathed. A faint blue sheen covered his midriff, almost looking like a skin of sorts. It was oddly attractive.

Sans stopped in his tracks as you ran a hand over his sternum, gently dragging your nails down.

“you, uhh, okay with-,”

“Yes,” you blurted out, feeling your face light up as he snorted at your quick reaction.

“just making sure. didn’t want you feelin’ uhh…”

“You’re perfect.” It was his turn to blush, hiding it by shuffling about to remove his shorts. Shimmying out of your own, you lay back and waited until he turned.

“uhhh…”

“Holy shit.”

You both spoke at once. Sans’ eyes raked over your body, drinking you in. Maybe if you hadn’t been staring at his pelvis, you would have felt a little self-conscious.

But wow that was a big dick. You could already feel your insides twisting in the most delightfully anticipatory way.

A low chuckle told you Sans was watching. “Hey, it’s a bit bigger than I’m used to, alright? And a lot more blue…” You cringed at the wording, but it seemed he had no such qualms. Leaning over you again, he pinched your chin between his thumb and forefinger to pull you in for another scorching kiss.

“this is what you meant, right?” he whispered against your lips. “because i don’t want you to regret gettin’ fucked into the mattress.”

“Yes. Please. Just-.” The rest of your not so coherent sentence was drowned out as he finally touched you, parting your folds to gently stroke the piece of you that needed him most.

But it still wasn’t enough.

When he cautiously pushed forwards, delving into your wet heat, you found yourself barely hanging on to reality, fighting to keep your cries down. As soon as he began to move, however, you lost it.

Hooking your ankles around his back, you hung on for dear life, clutching anywhere you could reach. This, Sans certainly didn’t mind if the savage snarl he let out was anything to go by.

He did exactly as promised, pounding relentlessly into you until everything was too much, your nerves on fire, burning for a release. And then when he kissed you, it was as if the world shattered. The very fabric of time could have come undone, and you wouldn’t have noticed.

Seconds after you contracted around him, Sans shuddered, spilling out into you with your name on his lips.

Nothing could have prepared you for how good it felt to hear that. As you lay there, completely spent, it was as if nothing could go wrong. For once, you felt at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You boned Sans.  
> Nice.
> 
>  
> 
> Also I was literally discussing this chapter with my friend who:  
> a) has no idea what Undertale is,  
> b) is a smol muslim bean  
> and c) is a virgin.
> 
> Her suggestions were absolutely hilarious and I might post the ones I didn't use on Tumblr later or whatever. I actually nearly died when she told me to let Sans motorboat the reader, but hey, it's IC.  
> Btw, that was the mildest suggestion...  
> It's also worth mentioning I haven't written het in ten years XD


	25. Smiling Through the Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some sexual themes at the start of this chapter... nothing explicit, but if you don't want to read it, ctrl+f to the *

“Nnnggghh, _Saaans!_ ” You felt some shuffling around under the blankets and had to bite back a smile when your boyfriend’s head popped out. Having only caught fleeting glances of his tongue before now, it really was something to see the long, blue appendage in the, uhh, flesh. _Especially_ now it glistened, lewdly displaying proof of your excitement.

God, that thing was magical in more ways than one…

“you called?”

Rolling your eyes at his grin, you were already regretting what you were about to say. Staying in bed like this was far too much fun. “As much as I’m enjoying what you’re doing down there, we can’t spend all day like this.”

“aww but babe, this is the absolute _breast,_ ” he teased, reaching out to squeeze the object of his pun.

_Well that’s a new one._ Babe or not, you giggled, lazily swatting his hand away. “You know Papyrus is going to start wondering where we are eventually.”

“he’ll figure it out.” There was a slight disgruntlement in his tone, but Sans stopped in his ministrations to lean forwards and kiss you. The taste of yourself on his lips almost made you reconsider. After all, that tongue was _extremely_ talented.

Instead, you rolled out of bed with a sigh. _Damn my stupid sensible tendencies,_ you thought, digging through your closet to find some clean clothes.

Sans let out a low whistle. He still lounged on the bed looking every bit relaxed and whole and happy. _So do I_ , you supposed. “i could get used to that view.” If he’d had eyebrows, they’d be waggling like crazy right now.

A balled-up shirt hit him square in the face. “You know you really should take a shower or something instead of just ogling me like that.” The words were without heat, but the fact remained, you both needed to clean up and soon.

“hmm…” In an instant, Sans was behind you, snaking an arm around your midriff. “then why don’t you join me? i can multitask…”

You pretended to think it over before grinning. “Alright. But we’re just going to get clean, okay?”

“fiiine.” There was no way Sans was actually disappointed. He’d had you all morning, again and again until you’d become too tired to carry on. Then he’d disappeared under the covers and had you in a totally different way.

You could get used to this too.

After popping back into his room to fetch fresh clothes, Sans teleported you both to the bathroom. To avoid any embarrassing encounters he’d said, but you sort of suspected it was so he could keep you naked for longer. You kept on catching him staring at you, unapologetically eyeing up the goods as it were.

Dragging him into the hot spray, you wondered why his gaze wasn’t making you self-conscious. Sure, you weren’t innocent, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t be insecure, especially when it came to your scars. Your previous partners (if you could even call them that) had been quick to look away from the marks, scared to stare for too long. But Sans’ eyes were everywhere, taking you in as a whole person. It was strangely comforting.

You were pretty glad he’d suggested this. There was no real need to rush, and the water was almost therapeutic against your sore muscles. In fact, as you stepped into the stream you let out a quiet moan, relishing in the sensation.

“guess it’s a bit easier than i thought to get you wet.” Sans quirked a brow and you stuck your tongue out in retaliation.

“Cute, but as far as I remember you had no problems with that.” Squirting a little shampoo into your hands, you began to lather up your hair.

For the most part, Sans kept his hands to himself, but every now and again the tiniest of touches turned into something more, and despite your initial reproach, you soon found yourself wanting.

Eventually, you caved.

“Hey Sans…?”

“mhmm?”

You passed him the loofah, grinning wickedly. “Would you mind getting my back? I can’t reach.”

The look on his face was priceless. Quickly recovering, Sans took the sponge and began rubbing wide circles into your shoulders. It felt amazing, but what was even better was the way his hands dipped, travelling lower and lower until–

Needless to say, you spent a lot longer in the shower than intended.

*

“HUMAN AND SANS! I WAS ABOUT TO COME LOOKING FOR YOU. IT IS WELL PAST MIDDAY, AND… WHY ARE YOU SMILING LIKE THAT?”

You almost choked on your coffee. Having been lucky enough to avoid running into Papyrus on your way downstairs, you’d hoped that by the time he arrived, you would have been able to wipe the stupid dazed grin off your face.

Strangely enough, it wasn’t you he’d been looking at.

“hey, what can i say?” Sans shrugged. “it’s a beautiful day.”

Papyrus looked somewhat placated. “IT IS INDEED A BEAUTIFUL DAY BROTHER! ALTHOUGH I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE AS EXCITED AS ME FOR MY BACHELOR PARTY!”

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed when Sans flinched. It was subtle, the instant recoil gone by the time you turned to look properly. “yeah bro. ‘s gonna be great.” _What’s that all about?_

Seemingly, Papyrus hadn’t noticed, almost immediately shocking you out of your thoughts with a gasp. “THAT REMINDS ME! ___, I… WELL, METTATON AND I, WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND AN INVITATION TO OUR WEDDING ON FRIDAY! WE UNDERSTAND IT IS A LITTLE SHORT NOTICE, AND IF YOU DON’T WANT TO-,”

“Papyrus, I would _love_ to come!” you all but squealed.

“R-REALLY?!” You almost laughed as he tried to rein in his excitement. “AHEM. I MEAN, OF COURSE YOU’D LOVE TO. WE ARE A VERY GREAT COUPLE AFTER ALL. O-OH, I MEANT TO ASK, WOULD YOU ALSO LIKE TO COME TO UNDYNE’S TONIGHT TO MOURN THE FACT THAT I AM TO BE WED?”

Now that was an odd way of putting it. “You mean for your bachelor’s party? It’d be my pleasure, but I thought you were happy about this…”

“OH, I MOST CERTAINLY AM!” Expression misty, Papyrus clutched his hands together, sighing dramatically. “I LOVE METTATON WITH ALL MY SOUL AND CANNOT WAIT FOR THE DAY WE ARE TO BE JOINED AS SKELETON AND ROBOT!”

“Sooo… why are we mourning?”

“FOR ALL THOSE WHO WILL NEVER DATE ME! I FEEL IT IS MY DUTY TO PROPERLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE ABSENCE OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS FROM THE DATING POOL AND TO GRIEVE THE TRAIL OF BROKEN HEARTS I LEAVE BEHIND.”

_Ah._ “Then I can’t wait!”

Coming from anyone else, that statement would have seemed narcissistic, but there was something about the air they were said with; Papyrus’ absolute self-assuredness and innocence shining through in such a way that you didn’t doubt he’d be leaving behind a few admirers. He was just so _good._

As the two of you celebrated this turn of events, your mind slowly started to wander back to Sans. He faced you, but you were certain he wasn’t seeing anything. The twin pricks of light in his eye sockets were dim, flickering occasionally as his strained smile pulled ever more taught. It couldn’t have been further from the genuine grin he’d worn earlier.

When Papyrus eventually excused himself tell Undyne to expect one more guest, you leant over the table to take Sans’ hand.

“Hey.” It was barely a murmur, but he heard you.

“what’s up?”

“You’re not happy about something.”

Sans’ smile grew, but at this point it was more of a grimace than anything. “‘m fine. why wouldn’t i be?”

You scowled. “Five minutes ago, you were on top of the world. Now… look, I care about you, ok?”

To his credit, Sans looked a little embarrassed. After a moment or two of deliberation, he sighed. “… fine. just don’t tell paps. ‘s my issue not his.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“alright… just so you know, ‘m well aware this is dumb. i like mettaton, don’t get me wrong. he’s great, paps is great. _they’re_ great. and paps has been stayin’ over at the mansion more and more recently, which is fine. ‘s what couples do. an’ i’ll get used to it eventually but it’s gonna be… weird without him.”

“You’re going to miss him.”

“heh.” Sans scratched the back of his head. “bingo.”

He looked so utterly dejected, you had to hug him. “Sans, Papyrus isn’t going to forget about you because he’s married. The two of you are super close. And sure, it might mean you don’t spend as much time together, but that’ll make the moments you do even more precious.”

“i know, i know. it’s stupid,” he mumbled into your shirt. “i worry too much.”

“You said it, not me.” As you pulled away, his snort made you smile. “Besides, you’ve kinda had reason to lately.”

“yeah. with everything that’s been goin’ on, i’d pushed the wedding to the back of my mind. guess i just got a bit of a wake-up call. heh.” Sans didn’t look any happier, but some of the tension in his smile had lifted and that would do for now. This wasn’t something he could fix by talking and both of you knew that.

You were going to make damn sure the two had fun tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back kiddos!  
> Thank you so much for everyone who wished my brother well. I'm currently staying with him whilst he gets better, which really isn't that long away because he's already on his feet and... playing fortnite...  
> Little context; neither of us live with our parents who are in another country and right now our mum is about to have surgery too. My dad is busy looking after my grandfather who's also ill, so I'll be kicking it with my bro for a few weeks before going home.  
> On the plus side, now things are sorted I've been given indefinite leave and extensions from my classes so I can write as much as I want!
> 
> This chapter is kinda fluffy... I was having a bit of trouble linking 24 and 26, so I'm just gonna treat this as the bridge between...  
> For those of you who read You Had Me at Yellow, there's a chapter of that going up today too!


	26. The Absolute God of Hyperdeath

“NGAAAAH!!! WELCOME TO HELL, PUNKS!” Undyne screamed from the top of the barricade as she pelted your small group with projectiles. You were certain she was using magic to fling them further, as a light sheen of _something_ coated whatever she touched, evaporating seconds before impact.

You could just about see Frisk’s head poking up from behind a desk as they joined in. Their aim wasn’t bad, but the lack of power meant most of their ammunition fell short. Despite this, they were cackling menacingly, obviously having a great time.

So far, you hadn’t sustained any damage; your borrowed white tee blessedly stain-free. Papyrus hadn’t been so lucky. Redness smattered the side of his skull, staining his cheek a bloody hue.

Sans was nowhere to be found.

“Right,” you hissed, filling both hands with the remainder of your arsenal. “Paps, we’ve got this. Let’s make ‘em pay.”

He nodded gravely. “I BELIEVE IN US!”

“On three.” Dumping a handful of goo into his outstretched fingers, you tensed. It was time to end this.

“One. Two. Three!”

The moment you stood up, a tomato collided with your forehead. Seeing red (figuratively and literally) you screamed a harsh battle cry, charging forwards. Papyrus was with you, your shirts a gloopy mess, but war in your souls.

Smushing a tomato into Undyne’s hair, you idly thought that this was not what you’d anticipated from a bachelor party.

Then again, what _had_ you expected?

*

Twenty minutes and your second shower of the day later, you collapsed onto the sofa. Sans cracked one eye open, grinning at your dishevelled appearance. He was stretched across the cushions, feet propped up on the armrest like he owned the place.

“who won?”

You smirked, reaching over to push his feet down and snorting when they hit the floor. “Us. No thanks to you.”

“hey, i’ll have you know i was providing moral support.”

“Really? Cuz as far as I could see, you were just napping on the sofa.”

“not my fault my morals are questionable.” A sharp poke in the side made him laugh as he pulled himself upright. “babe, i’m a handicap if anything. too lazy.”

You’d been hearing that a lot lately. _Too lazy._ Sure, Sans found… alternative ways of doing things. Ways that some people might think were lazy. You’d never seen him actively ignore a situation if there was something to gain from it.

“Cute excuse.”

“‘s the truth.” He ruffled your hair, dumping the still-damp locks over your eyes with a chuckle. “ya should know by now.”

Ohh, you did. It was becoming increasingly clear that the right motivation was all he needed to get moving, and you’d been thinking up a double whammy. Peering out from beneath the curtain of hair, you pouted, giving him your best attempt at puppy-dog eyes. “Yeah, but tonight is about you and Paps, and if you just stay on the sofa…”

Sans’ reaction was immediate. He spluttered, face turning ever so slightly blue in the process. _Hah!_ It was for his own good after all. You only hoped it wasn’t too mean.

Thankfully, Undyne chose that moment to burst through the door, arm in arm with Papyrus. “There you two NERDS are!” she guffawed, untangling herself to slam a box onto the table. You jumped a little, pulling back to shift the hair from your face. Glancing at Sans, you noticed there was still a faint blue sheen to his cheeks. He looked a little sheepish to be honest. “Now we’ve got the appetiser out of the way, it’s time for the main course!”

“PUZZLES!” Papyrus chimed in. “FRISK IS FETCHING OUR FINAL GUEST, AND THEN WE CAN GET STARTED!”

 _In what world was that an appetiser?_ If anything, the tomato warfare you’d engaged in was the monster-equivalent of paintballing, if not a little messier. You really hoped that Alphys at least knew what had gone down in her hallway. Then again, she was off with Mettaton tonight, singing karaoke to their hearts’ content and probably wouldn’t see the carnage that lay out there.

Wait a second… Frisk hadn’t left the house alone, had they?

Before you could think about that any more, Sans interrupted with a resigned sigh. “… did the weed really have to come?”

“OF COURSE, SANS. HE IS MY CLOSEST FRIEND! WELL, APART FROM UNDYNE, OF COURSE,” he amended quickly. “BESIDES, HE’S ALMOST HERE AND IT WOULD BE RUDE TO SEND HIM BACK UPSTAIRS LIKE THAT!”

Sans grumbled a little, but that was the least of your concern right now. _Upstairs?_ Waiting until the others had busied themselves with whatever was in the box, you leaned in close to murmur: “Who are you talking about?”

He shrugged. “a mutual acquaintance. we… don’t see eye to eye. best ta leave it at that.”

 _Well that was awfully cryptic._ Then again, this was _Sans._ Not exactly the simplest guy to figure out. Frisk’s feet clattered on the stairs, bringing the answer ever closer. _Weird… there’s only one set of footsteps._

There was definitely something strange going on. To your knowledge, the only people your boyfriend had issues with were genuinely unpleasant… or just Jerry. _Oh please, don’t let it be Jerry._

The moment Frisk rounded the corner, you realised thankfully, it wasn’t. In their arms was a potted flower. Immediately, recognition struck.

“Isn’t that one of the flowers from Alphys’ lab?”

“Snrk! You sure picked an observant one, trashbag.” The voice was high and reedy, mocking as you stared at the little face that had just revealed itself at the centre of the bloom. Sans made a small, feral-sounding growl, but didn’t rise to the bait.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise you were a monster.”

The flower rolled its eyes at you. “WRONG! You humans are all the same, so weak and STUPID! Heh, I guess that explains why you’ve shacked up with aaAAAGHHH!”

You stared dumbfounded as Frisk produced a spray bottle from behind their back, rapidly spritzing the petals.

“NOW FLOWEY,” Papyrus said sternly, somehow audible over the shrieks. “WHAT WERE THE RULES FOR TONIGHT?”

“I AM THE ABSOLUTE GOD OF HYPERDEATH! HOW DARE YOU TREAT ME LIKE A PET, AND **DON’T LAUGH AT ME** , YOU DISGUSTING WASTE OF SPACE!” The last part was directed at Sans, who was now quietly snickering at the unfolding events. “YOU IDIOTS, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU AAAAUUGGHH!!” Frisk sprayed him again, a little more thoroughly this time.

Eventually, he calmed down enough for Papyrus to give him a devastatingly disappointed look.

“FLOWEY…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. No threatening to kill guests.” Still shooting nasty looks at everyone, the flower coughed. “Howdy,” he sighed. “I’m Flowey. Flowey the flower. _Just_ a flower, mind you.”

“Umm, nice to meet you?” You honestly couldn’t say if it was. Flowey’s face contorted into a creepy grin, showing all his teeth. Finally feeling like you understood Sans’ opinion (and more than confused as to why Papyrus liked him so much), you decided to just go with the flow.

“Alright,” Undyne said, a big step-down from her usual exuberant self. The last few minutes had put a bit of a damper on things and she was trying her best to pull it back. “Who’s ready for some quickfire pair puzzles!” Frisk began nodding enthusiastically, and Papyrus chuckled, patting them on the head.

“I KNEW YOU’D BE EXCITED! FRISK IS RATHER GOOD AT THESE… ALTHOUGH THEN AGAIN, SO AM I!”

“Nuh-uh!” Undyne practically snatched the teen away from his grasp. “You had Frisk last time! It’s my turn.”

“ARE YOU SURE? I DON’T RECALL…” _Wow, Papyrus is a bad liar._ “WELL, I GUESS I CAN CARRY ANY TEAM TO VICTORY, NO MATTER THE COMPOSITION.”

“guess it’s you and me then.” Sans smiled at you. _Damn._ You could feel your plan slipping further and further away with each passing second. Hogging Sans had not been on the agenda tonight and partnering with Papyrus would be just as counterproductive. That only left one other option.

“Nah.”

Sans’ grin faltered for a second. “come again?”

“Nope! I feel like getting to know the Absolute God of Hyperdeath a little better.”

Oh, the betrayal. You faintly heard Flowey’s snicker and the little shout of: “Way to go, trashbag! Lost her already!”

Sans was bubbling with some kind of nervous energy. “umm, are you sure?” he murmured. “i get that you’re trying to give me and paps time, but that little shit’s gonna be nothing but trouble.”

“Oh, I don’t know Sans,” you said, juuust loud enough for everyone else to hear. “Sounds like you’re scared I’m going to beat you.”

Out the corner of your eye, you could see Frisk rapidly signing to Undyne, who subsequently voiced their words through in the form of “OOOHHHHH!!!!”. Papyrus looked personally affronted.

“___, I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW MY BROTHER AND I ARE AN UNSTOPPABLE TEAM!”

“You couldn’t stop Frisk!”

“YES UNDYNE, BUT NEITHER COULD YOU!”

“Yeah, but…” she squeezed Frisk closer. “The difference is, they’re on _my_ team now!”

“… I STILL DON’T THINK THAT SHOULD BE ALLOWED, BUT IN THE SPIRIT OF FAIRNESS TO FRISK…”

You winked at Sans. “Looks like we’ve got a bit of a competition going.”

He shrugged, giving you a sly look. “if this was a plan to get me to stop being lazy, it’s working. though you’d better not be getting any ideas about the weed…”

“Because I’m _totally_ into flowers.”

“well, you are into skeletons…”

“ _A_ skeleton,” you corrected. “ _This_ skeleton. Now play nice. Or don’t, because I sure as hell won’t.”

“oohhhh you’re on, babe.”

And with those final words, you retreated to sit by your partner who’d been placed on the coffee table. He watched you with a wary interest.

“Sooo,” Flowey mused as you sat down. “How are we going to do this?”

“We’re going to win.” You were determined to. The flower grinned.

“Ahh. It seems you and I might have got off on the wrong foot. Howdy,” he stuck out a leaf to shake your hand, voice far warmer this time around. “I’m Flowey. And we’re gonna be _great_ friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a bit longer than expected XD  
> Well, I for one love the absolute god of hyperdeath ＼(★^∀^★)／


	27. Greatest Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking my sweet time with this one! This was idea number 4 that I wrote out.......... buuuuuuuuut it's almost 3k, so that should make up for it!
> 
> {} Frisk in ASL

“Now everything’s settled, we can get started!” Undyne yelled, punching the air. “Although I’ve got no clue what this is gonna be like because Alphys set it up without telling me… but I trust her to make something really cool!”

Papyrus leant over the mysterious box to pull out three small remotes. Each one had an array of buttons marked A, B, C, D and POWER. After handing them out to each pair, he sat and frowned.

“ALPHYS DIDN’T LEAVE ANY FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS… I SAY WE HIT ‘POWER’ AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!”

Well, it couldn’t hurt. Undyne was already slamming a finger down onto her and Frisk’s, and the brothers weren’t far behind. Not wanting to lose any sort of advantage, you followed suit.

The second you did, a high-pitched whirring began. It was impossible to tell where it was coming from, seemingly emanating from the walls themselves. Undyne and Papyrus were practically vibrating with anticipation. Frisk rolled their eyes, sinking back into the sofa. It seemed whatever was going on, they’d seen it before.

A sharp clang drew a yelp from your throat. It was so sudden, and looking around, you couldn’t tell what had caused it. Your eyes met Sans’. He remained impassive, but you noticed a slight quirk of his mouth when a second noise made you jump again. The third time, you didn’t react.

Finally, there was silence. The whole room waited with bated breath…

Until a hole was blasted in the wall. You screamed, diving for cover behind the sofa. _What now?_

It wasn’t until you heard the cheers that you felt as if you’d missed a big detail. Peering up and over the back of the seat, it took a moment of hard blinking to realise what lay in front of you.

Somehow, it made sense in the most convoluted, ridiculous way.

“Welcome beauties,” Mettaton purred. “To today’s extra special quiz show!”

He lounged in front of the hole, a microphone coquettishly hanging from one hand, looking every bit the glamourous TV host you’d come to know.

… except for the LED cat ears perched on top of his head. And the matching pink tutu and legwarmers. Oh, and the wig.

Alphys peered out from behind the robot. “H-hey guys!” She was wearing the same outfit with the exception of a ribbon tied around the end of her tail.

“OH MY GOD!!!!” Papyrus screeched. “THIS IS THE BEST BACHELOR PARTY EVER!!!!” _How the hell is he vocalising exclamation marks… never mind._

Undyne was visibly surprised, but she grinned all the same. “Yo, Alphy! Thought you were supposed to be on a bachelor party of your own!”

“Y-yeah, we are! A-although we’ve b-been waiting back h-here for a while now…”

Waving her off, Mettaton smirked. “This _is_ my bachelor party. And oh, I’m already loving it! The drama! The passion! Darlings, keep this up and ratings for my wedding special will be through the roof!”

“Wait, we’re on TV?” You squeaked. _Where are the cameras?_

“N-not exactly…”

“Limited release with our broadcasted ceremony on Friday. So you’re not live now, and if you don’t want to participate…”

“No, that’s fine,” you interrupted. “I just got a little freaked for a second. What with you… destroying the wall and everything…”

Sans smiled at you reassuringly. “ya sure? don’t do anything you don’t want to.”

“Trying to eliminate the competition already?” Hoping he wouldn’t take the teasing too seriously, you laughed when he shot you a smug look.

“don’t need to. me ‘n paps are gonna destroy you.”

The two of you spun around when Mettaton gasped. “That’s it! That’s the enthusiasm I wanted! Now darlings, are we ready to begin?”

After a resounding ‘yes’ echoed around the room, he began to laugh, striking some kind of ridiculous pose.

“Hohohohoho, then let’s get started!”

 _Did it just get darker in here?_ The lights were still lit, no one moving to turn them off, but somehow the room itself had taken on a sort of opacity. You could still see your friends just as clearly as before, but oddly enough the furnishings and detail around them had all but vanished.

You exchanged a look with Flowey. He rolled his eyes, turning back to face Mettaton with no explanation. Stranger things had happened you supposed. It probably wasn’t important if no one else was asking.

“So, a quick recap of the rules. There will be two segments to this show. Quickfire questions, in which each team will select an answer from the list provided with their remotes. A failure here will result a time penalty in part two… It used to be instant death, but we had to change that…” He stopped to address Papyrus separately. “Unfortunately, my love, you are excluded from this section. It would simply be unfair.”

The skeleton frowned, but begrudgingly nodded. “IF YOU THINK MY GREATNESS WOULD BE A DISADVANTAGE TO THE OTHERS, I WILL SIT THIS ONE OUT.”

“Don’t worry Papy dear, the next section will be much more fun. Besides, this is more of a test for your brother…”

Sans grinned. “i see how it is. don’t worry bro, i got this.”

“VERY WELL.” He looked slightly uncertain.

Flipping a strand of hair out of his eyes, Mettaton continued. “The second part will be explained in due course, so for now, fingers, fins, or vines on your buttons and let’s kick things off with an easy one!”

You gasped as white letters appeared before your eyes. _Magic. Of course._ Frankly, it was to be expected; you’d seen Mettaton run a similar bit on his variety show a little while ago, assuming the text was added in post. Now you wished you’d paid closer attention.

**What’s the prize for answering correctly?**

**A: Money**

**B: Mercy**

**C: New Car**

**D: More Questions**

Frisk giggled. You looked up just in time to see them roll their eyes at Mettaton who simply smiled in response.

Your distraction meant the little voice in your ear almost went unnoticed.

“It’s D,” Flowey murmured. He’d somehow moved unnoticed to the back of the sofa. “He’s done this one before.”

“How did you… never mind.” You sighed. “It seems like the only sensible option anyway.”

“With that guy, the word ‘sensible’ isn’t even a factor. I just know what I’m talking about. And so does Frisk, so watch it.”

You hummed in agreement, selecting D. “Let’s just hope they don’t know _every_ answer.”

Mettaton called time soon after. “My, my, _myy,_ that was quick. And the correct answer was… D! Not a wrong response in sight, and you _all_ win the fabulous prize of more questions!”

“Oi!” Everyone’s heads spun round to look at Undyne. “Frisk wants to say something.”

{You’ve used that one before! Find some new material.}

“Ah… hah… it was a joke?” He didn’t seem so sure. “A-anyway, next question!”

As fresh words appeared in the air, Flowey murmured in your ear once more. “Told you.”

“You did. I’m hoping you’ll be just as good with the rest.”

He scoffed. “The tin can doesn’t know any questions that’ll get me stumped. Trust me.”

**How many nice creams can you eat if your stomach is empty?**

**A: None**

**B: One**

**C: Twenty-Six**

**D: As Many as I Want**

_A riddle._ And an easy one at that. You didn’t need Flowey’s help this time, but still whispered your suspicions back.

“It’s B. Your stomach isn’t empty any more if you eat one.”

“That’s a very… _human_ question.” He stuck his tongue out in disgust. “Biology is gross.”

“Maybe so, but riddles are only one step away from puns…” Inputting the answer, you caught Sans’ eye. He winked. “… and if _I’m_ finding that easy, I can guess who might be too.” You held his gaze for a moment, as if challenging him to break first.

“Urgh. You two are gross.”

“And that is time!” Mettaton called. “The correct answer was, of course, B!”

“ _What?_ ”

“Undyne, please refrain from screaming. It’s against the rules.”

“Frisk you jerk!” She was almost on her feet, remote clutched in a tight fist. “You let me pick D without saying anything!”

{Sometimes to win, you have to lose.} Their words were vaguely menacing, and you had a sudden, sinking feeling that the kid was playing games again.

“What the hell does that mean? You’re my teammate, stop being so damn cryptic and–,”

“ _Undyne!_ ” A sharp voice cut through. Mettaton was not happy the argument was upstaging his presenting, but he kept smiling, reprimanding her through gritted teeth. “You selected the wrong answer. Therefore, you and your _darling partner_ receive a time penalty of two minutes. Do I need to make it three?”

“Ugh, fine!” Pouting, Undyne sunk back into her seat.

“ _As_ I was saying, B is the correct answer. Both remaining teams guessed right, Undyne and Frisk the only pair to receive a penalty so far. And that brings us to the most _interesting_ part of our show.”

 _Surely round one isn’t over just yet?_ Glancing around, you noticed everyone else seemed just as confused as you. _What is he planning?_

Mettaton’s grin became even wider. “May I present the Particularly Pertinent Personage Puzzles… but you can call it the ‘who knows Papyrus best’ sub-round.”

 _Oh._ So that was his game. And how perfectly it had been set up. Undyne looked absolutely thrilled to be answering questions to prove her ‘bestie’ status, and, knowing Sans, you had no doubt this round was something he was going to ace.

Flowey, on the other hand, looked just as excited as Undyne. “Now we’ll finally find out,” he cackled, a wide grin stretching over his face. You didn’t think he knew you could hear him. “ _I’m_ Papyrus’ best friend, and _I’m_ going to win. I _always_ win. Frisk will be sorry.”

The change in tone must have been evident as Mettaton chose that moment to laugh.

“Ahaha, well my beauties, that revelation certainly had the tension skyrocketing… and what do _you_ think about all this, Papy dear?”

Papyrus grinned. “WELL I’M ROOTING FOR SANS! AFTER ALL, MY BROTHER KNOWS ME BEST AFTER RAISING ME AND MAKING SURE I’VE HAD A HAPPY LIFE! SORRY EVERYONE ELSE, BUT THE OUTCOME IS INEVITABLE!”

“th-thanks bro…” Sans muttered. He might have looked relaxed as ever to an outsider, but he was trying to hide quivering hands in his pockets. You knew how much this meant to him, and, feeling the corners of your mouth twitch upwards in a smile, looked away. He deserved some privacy. You only hoped the editors of the footage felt the same.

“Well isn’t that just lovely!” Mettaton crowed. “Now if everyone is ready, we can begin again!” More words flashed up before your eyes, and you had to admit, you were somewhat curious about the answer.

**How did Papyrus propose to Mettaton?**

**A: With Spaghetti**

**B: With a Bone**

**C: He Didn’t**

**D: None of the Above**

“I’m guessing you have no idea.”

You shook your head, offering the remote. “This one’s for you. I haven’t known him long enough.”

Flowey extended a leaf to jab D. “Honestly? You won’t be able to forget it once you find out. It’s the most Papyrus thing I’ve ever seen him do.”

“You were there?”

He grinned. “Yeah, and it was _amazing._ Like watching a car crash. So bad, you just can’t look away.”

You didn’t have a chance to ask him what he meant before Mettaton called everyone to attention. “And it seems we have a clean sweep again this time. The correct answer was D, and you all guessed right. Now Sans, being as you’re the favourite to win, could you explain to us the exact circumstances of that moment?”

He chuckled. “ya told me it was an accident. you’d planned somethin’ fancy, but you started rambling and just blurted it out.”

Papyrus looked a little bashful. “WE STILL HAD SPAGHETTI AFTERWARDS, BUT AS EXPECTED, YOU REMEMBER MY EMBARRASSMENT. WELL DONE.”

“Aww, but Papy, it was cute!” _Here comes the swooning._ “To think you were so eager to marry me, you forgot yourself entirely!”

“NYEEEH, I’LL ADMIT IT WASN’T MY GREATEST MOMENT, BUT SO LONG AS TONTON IS HAPPY…”

For a second it seemed like Mettaton had completely forgotten what he was doing, staring at Papyrus with a kind of reverence. That was until Alphys coughed, and he snapped out of it, straightening up to continue the show. _God damn it, they’re still adorable._ Papyrus had this kind of innocent magnetism that enraptured everyone around him. It was really quite special.

“Next question! This one is an image-based round, so pay close attention.”

A severely stretched out photo appeared in mid-air. From what you could see, it looked like four very blown up pixels of something red.

**What is this a photo of?**

**A: Papyrus’ Car**

**B: Papyrus’ Scarf**

**C: Papyrus’ Boots**

**D: Undyne’s Hair**

_What the hell?_ You laughed nervously. It had to be a joke. There was _no way_ this was a real question but casting your eyes around the room, it quickly became clear no one else was finding it funny. In fact, everyone (with the odd exception of Sans) was staring intensely at the photo.

“He can’t be serious.”

Even Flowey seemed to be concentrating hard, speaking in a monotonous voice that sounded like he’d expected your dismay. “It’s Mettaton. Nothing is too much.” Having never seen Papyrus’ car, there wasn’t much you could add, so you just waited as your partner selected a button.

Eventually, Mettaton sighed. “Would you do us the honours Sans?”

Sans was smug. No, that was an understatement. From his expression alone, you could tell this question had been easy for him.

“‘s a. i spent more than enough time bein’ dragged around showrooms, looking for that exact scarlet.”

Papyrus couldn’t have looked prouder. “AND YOU WERE THE ONE WHO FOUND IT! I’M SURPRISED YOU REMEMBERED!”

“how could i forget? ‘s the only thing you’ve asked for every single birthday since you… were six…” he trailed off awkwardly.

It seemed your plan was coming to fruition. Sans was finally getting a chance to show his brother just how much he cared, venting some repressed emotion in the process. It was obviously working, the growing blush on Papyrus’ face evidence to the fact.

Everyone was paying full attention to their conversation now. It seemed like something special was happening, and to miss out on it would be a dreadful shame.

So when Papyrus sniffled, wicking away a fluorescent tear, a gasp tore through the silence. You were pretty sure it was Alphys’, but the unfolding scene was far too important to miss looking for the source. “S-SANS… YOU ARE THE BEST B-BROTHER ANYONE COULD EVER ASK FOR.”

“heh…” There was moisture sparkling in both brothers’ eyes now. “thanks bro, but you’re by far the greatest.”

“DON’T QUOTE ME ON THIS LATER… BUT MAYBE WE CAN BE THE GREATEST… TOGETHER?”

“… alright. but just for you, paps.”

Ok, you were crying too. And it seemed like you weren’t the only one. Undyne let out a horrific screech, burying her face in her hands.

“Damn you. _Both_ of you. It’s too sweet.”

Despite her reaction being the most extreme, you caught Alphys mumbling to herself: “O-ohh, it’s just l-like that scene in… when…” Most of what she was saying was unintelligible, but it was pretty obvious she was talking about an anime. Even Flowey was stubbornly staring at the floor, an almost tender expression on his face.

After giving everyone a moment to settle down, Mettaton spoke. “Well, that was such a delightful moment, but we’re going to have to continue.” Sans shifted, exchanging a relaxed grin with Papyrus. “The correct answer was indeed A, and unfortunately… nobody guessed wrong!” There was a whoop from Undyne’s corner, giving you a moment to process that information.

“Seriously?”

Flowey smirked. “I might have guessed. I’ve never even seen that damn car.”

“Well… good guess, although I’m not sure how Undyne got it.”

“She’s a stickler for detail. You don’t get a conviction rate like hers without being one.”

It was a strange thing to know, but in the grand scheme of everything, you supposed it made sense. Straightening up in your seat, you zoned in just in time to hear Mettaton announce the next question.

“This is the one all of you have been waiting for!” he chuckled. _And here was me thinking the cryptic questions were done._

**Are you ready for the real fun to begin?**

**A: Yes**

**B: Yes**

**C: Yes**

**D: Yes**

Flowey snorted, pressing a button at random. When you looked at him, he just… shrugged? _It’s weird seeing a flower do that._ “Just wait.” He murmured. “ _This_ is where we win.”

“Well my beauties, all your answers are in, and it seems everyone is ready to progress.” Mettaton took one giant step back into the hole he and Alphys had come from. She followed, disappearing into the darkness. “Good luck, and don’t forget: _real_ drama! _Real_ romance! _Real_ bloodshed- uhh, I mean _NO_ bloodshed! Yes, that’s it! And please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.” They were gone before you had the chance to ask anything further.

“What was that all abaAAAAHHH!” You’d screamed more than any person should in the last fifteen minutes, but what happened next was enough to warrant another.

Because the floor was suddenly falling down through the earth, taking you and everyone else with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UUuuuuggggghhhhh the bachelor party was only supposed to be one chapter long, but it just wasn't right.... so part 3 will be coming soon!  
> I literally had a memo at the top of my notebook for planning this that just said "The question is not how difficult the riddles will be... but how far will Alphys go to make the night unforgettable?"  
> So have a house full of the most extra monsters holding the most _extra _bachelor party ever!__


	28. Hotland

“PAHAHAHAHA! YOUR FACE!” Flowey guffawed. He hung about a foot away from you, suspended in mid-air as the floor plunged down slightly faster than you could keep up with. Feeling yourself lifting off the sofa, you panicked, reaching out to grab a cushion in a white-knuckled grip. Too bad. The whole chair lifted up too. _Oh, fuck no._

But it didn’t feel like you were falling that fast. In fact, there was no way you’d reached terminal velocity already, and you could still focus on the sides of the shaft as they flew past your eyes.

“What the hell is going on!” You shrieked, desperately glancing around for reassurance.

Sans shot you a weak smile from over the floating coffee table. “maaaaaaagic.”

_Well duh._ Really, now you thought about it, there was no way your friends would do anything dangerous with you and Frisk about. _Would have been nice to have some warning, but I guess that would have spoiled the surprise._

A whoop caught your attention. Turning to the right, you saw Undyne in a similar pose to a sky diver, hovering above her chair with a delighted grin on her face. “Just relax! Alphy _never_ lets me use Mettaton’s props!”

_Ah._ That made a bit more sense.

Now that you’d relaxed into the decent, you noticed how much fun the others were having. Papyrus was paddling; his long arms and legs flailing as he tried his best to look dignified. Frisk was just laughing at the ridiculousness of his motions.

Catching Sans’ eye again, you let out a nervous giggle. He waved before folding his hands behind his head and shutting his eyes. _Really? A nap now?_ At least you knew that meant he trusted the contraption.

That didn’t mean you’d let go of the sofa though.

A few seconds later, you heard the screeching of metal as the brakes started to kick in. The sofa drifted down to touch the floor with a gentle thud, and you started to float to it, until finally you were securely seated again.

Eventually, the floor settled at the bottom of the shaft, and you sat up, looking around in wonder.

It was a cavern of sorts. One of the walls had a large arch carved in the side, opening out into what appeared to be a rocky, red pathway that spilled out into the dark.

“Where are we?” You murmured.

Sans replied without even opening his eyes. “underground.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious, but where–.” _I’m an idiot._ “Underground. As in _The_ Underground?” You didn’t have to look to know that Flowey was pulling a face at you.

“yup. alphys had her place built right above her old lab. the, uhh, lift is a bit dramatic, but it can be useful when she’s gotta bring stuff up.”

“… Is that even legal?”

“I spent a good few months making sure it was.” Undyne sounded amused at your question. “Besides, it’s not like anyone can say no. Enough geothermal power to light up all of Ebott in exchange for one big hole on private property? Pshh, easy.”

“When you put it like that… why the living room though?”

“Convenience?” She shrugged. “A certain robot kept asking if we’d install a way to dramatically disappear at a moment’s notice and for some reason, Alphys was pretty open to the idea of being able to ‘crawl back into the earth’ if she embarrassed herself too much. Now me,” she grinned. “I don’t give a _crap_ about that stuff but having a giant tunnel of doom in my living room floor was a major selling point.”

Part of you agreed with all their points of view, but it was a very small part, and you weren’t sitting a mile underground at the bottom of a hole to talk about planning permissions and death pits. No, you were there for a bachelor party. _Much more sensible._

“What do we do now?”

“Hohohohohoho, I’m _soooo_ glad you asked, darling!” Mettaton’s voice reverberated throughout the chamber. As it bounced off the metal walls, it almost sounded like he’d reverted to box form again. The echo was so cool, you idly wondered if Alphys would let you drop one of those screaming rubber chickens into the abyss. Although, knowing Undyne, it had probably already been attempted.

A large screen emerged from one of the walls, flickering to life to show the resident TV host in all his glory. Papyrus and Undyne howled with delight, and he took a bow.

“Thank you, thank you! Now, let’s get this show on the road, because part two of our quiz spectacular is somewhat of a race!”

You shot a concerned glance at Flowey. Why had he been so sure you’d win down here? _A race, huh? Against a super-fit police officer, a monster with the unbridled enthusiasm of a Labrador, and… Sans._

It seemed you weren’t the only one who was worried about that last option. “Please tell me teleportation is against the rules,” Undyne groaned.

Mettaton smirked. “As is any form of skipping sections. And believe me, we’ll be watching to make sure you don’t.”

Everyone visibly relaxed, apart from Sans who just laughed. “ye of little faith.”

“It wouldn’t give you that much of an advantage I’m afraid.” The image on the screen changed, showing a red landscape, covered in what looked like steam vents. “You will be journeying through Hotland. Alphys has kindly reactivated _all_ the puzzles, changing a few of them to be less… physically challenging. Oh, and the teams have worked out perfectly, so _everyone_ has a handicap of sorts.”

“Are you kidding me?” You’d never heard Undyne sound that resigned. “You made _me_ the handicap? And we’ve still got a _two-minute time penalty?!?_ ”

“I’m afraid so. We had to nerf Frisk somehow, and you have the worst reaction to Hotland out of anyone here.”

Shaking her head, she glanced at the teen. “This is gonna be a real pain, but I trust you punk.”

{We’ve got this!} Frisk punched the air, jumping up enthusiastically. But in that moment, their expression changed. It became more focused… unwavering in the face of the task at hand. Game or not, they wanted to win and the adversity they were up against had only served to make them more determined.

Then again, Flowey’s expression had changed too. In a sense, it reflected Frisk’s, but there was something slightly malicious lurking below the surface. Something less controlled.

Oh man, was this flower making you curious.

Papyrus broke your train of thought. “NYEEEEHH! SANS IS HARDLY A HANDICAP FOR SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME!”

“I wouldn’t really call him one at… all…” You started to protest, but before you could say anything in his defence, the taller skeleton swooped down and grabbed him under the armpits. Sans folded, a bit like a cat does when its picked up, just letting himself be carried. You could already tell this wasn’t the first time he’d been in that position.

“OBVIOUSLY THERE IS NO FEASIBLE WAY SANS CAN KEEP UP WITH ME, SO I MUST CARRY HIM! BUT WORRY NOT, DEAR BROTHER! YOU ARE NO MORE A HINDERANCE THAN A SMALL BAG OF ROCKS, AND I CAN CARRY TWENTY OF THOSE!”

“cool,” Sans said simply, shutting his eyes. “wake me up when we get to the first puzzle.”

“… Are you really going to sleep?” You asked. He certainly wasn’t trying to get rid of his reputation anytime soon.

“yup. besides, paps could do this whole challenge singlehandedly and beat everyone anyway. sorry babe, you gotta know when to take a loss.”

He sounded proud. So much so, that you knew in that moment, no further meddling on your part would be necessary to manufacture the perfect brotherly bonding experience.

But that didn’t mean you had to lose.

“Hmm. I’ll remember that when you’re collecting second place.”

“Everyone loves a bit of trash talk,” Mettaton interrupted. “But if I let you continue, we’ll never have a winner. I run on a tight schedule, darlings…”

Shooting a final, playful glare at Sans (who still had his eyes shut), you turned back to the screen. “Alright. Tell us where to go, and when.”

Dropping back into his announcer voice, Mettaton finished his explanation. “Follow the path to my resort. Don’t worry, you’ll know it when you see it,” he added for your benefit. “All puzzles will reactivate within 30 seconds of completion, so get through them fast. Apart from that, there’s not much else to say… oh, and for his stellar performance in the quiz, Sans has earned his team a thirty second head start.”

“That’s hardly fair.”

“Too late, their time starts now!”

_God damn, he’s smooth._ Mettaton was obviously trying to avoid any more conflict, and the second the words left his mouth, Papyrus took off, breaking into a run with an energised: “NYEHEHEHEH!”

How on earth were you supposed to keep up with _that?_

Flowey tugged at your sleeve impatiently. _And there was another issue._ He didn’t look very heavy, but you still weren’t eagerly anticipating dashing through an environment the locals had seen fit to dub ‘Hotland’ carrying a flowerpot.

“You want to win, right?” he murmured.

Twenty seconds left.

“How the hell can we catch up with them?”

Flowey shook his head. “Do you want to _win?_ ”

_Why is everyone so cryptic?_ “Obviously.”

Ten seconds left.

A slightly maniacal look crossed his face. “Then don’t complain about the ride.”

“What do you ooOOOHH MY GOD!”

You really shouldn’t be surprised by stuff like this anymore, but yet again, you found yourself screaming. Thick vines began spilling out of the pot, coiling on the ground in front of you. Before too long, they tensed, and inch by inch, raised Flowey off the ground.

“You have LEGS?!” It was more of a screech than anything else, and you heard Frisk’s breathy chuckle at your response. _I’m probably making an absolute fool of myself._ Somewhere in the background, Mettaton shouted that you could start.

“Uhh, yeah? Did you really think I rely on these idiots to take me everywhere?” He sounded almost offended. “Also, it’s pretty rude to assume.”

“Sorry,” you murmured. “So what, is it my turn to be the carried one for a bit?”

“You betcha! I’ll try not to drop you or anything.”

“You’ll _try?_ ” Before you could get another word out, one of the vines shot up, wrapping tightly around your waist to pull you high into the air.

And then you were moving.

Flowey was a lot faster than you’d expected, flying through the underground at breakneck speed. But holy crap, you must have looked ridiculous. A talking flower on legs made of vines… with a human being tossed about in his grasp. There was something weirdly King Kong-ish about the whole situation.

Before too long, the first puzzle came into view, and setting you down at the edge, Flowey paused to study its layout. There wasn’t really that much to it; metal grates with arrows painted on them covered the edges of platforms. The spaces between appeared to open directly into the lava below. Were you expected to jump that far?

Flowey noticed your trepidation and snorted. “Hey, don’t wimp out on me! If Frisk could do this when they were eight, so can you. Besides, Alphys has probably stuck a force-field down there or something. Totally ruins the fun if you ask me.”

_Umm…_ Shelving that information for later, you steeled yourself. “Okay… any idea what route we need to take?”

“This one looks the same as it did last time I was down here.” He raised a vine to point out the path. “Just keep moving left wherever you can.”

“… How?”

Flowey huffed. “They’re steam vents, idiot. Walk forwards and don’t think too much. Look, I’ll go first if you’re that unsure.”

You didn’t know what was more disturbing; witnessing the birth of Flowey’s legs, or their retraction into the pot. Either way, it was weird. Eventually, he ended up about the same height as you, give or take a few inches.

“Just watch.” Taking a step forwards, he trod on the first grill. Immediately, steam rushed up from underneath, catapulting him into the air. It was calculated; the power kept at such a level that Flowey landed securely on the next platform.

_That actually looks pretty fun._ Watching a demonstration sort of put everything into perspective. _Of course_ it wasn’t dangerous. Well, no more so than the tomato fight. Your new friends just had a different way of having fun.

Taking a deep breath, you stepped forwards.

You didn’t scream this time at least. The strange dropping sensation in your stomach was the worst part, as the jump itself turned out to be pretty enjoyable.

“Ok, that wasn’t too bad,” you admitted to the grinning flower as soon as you’d touched down.

“Ready for round two?”

“Just try and stop me.”

It didn’t take long to pick your way through the first section of vents, and as soon as you were done, Flowey was scooping you up again, running off down the path.

Now you finally had a moment just to think, you had to admit Flowey was, for lack of a better word, _strange._ He’d said he wasn’t a monster, but… a talking flower? _A smartass too._ Back in the living room, he’d seemed to take on another personality for a few moments before Frisk had sprayed him, ranting and raving like he had no control over his emotions, but the second he’d got wind of the competition, his drive to win changed everything further…

“Can you stop that?” Flowey grumbled.

“What?”

“Thinking so hard. I can almost hear you.”

You blushed. “Y-you can read thoughts too?”

“Hah, nope. You look like something’s eating you and it’s getting on my nerves.”

_Thank God._ After everything else today, a surprise like that might have ended you on the spot. “I guess I’m trying too hard to stitch things together and it shows. Sorry.”

There was a pause. “You know, you could just _ask._ I don’t care.”

_Well, that’s a change of tune._ “What would you be willing to talk about?”

“Anything. I literally don’t care.”

The question was open. Too open. It felt so wrong to voice what had been burning a hole in your mind, but when handed an excuse… Curiosity eventually got the better of you.

“Ok… then if you don’t mind me asking, what are you?”

“Just a flower.” Flowey’s response was clipped; probably one he’d given time and time again. It felt like he was waiting for something else. Something… different.

You weren’t asking the right question.

“Then… _who_ are you?”

It seemed you’d hit the nail on the head. Flowey smirked. “Which name d’you want? I’ve got a few.”

“All of them?”

“You’re really nosey, aren’t you?”

“Sorry.”

“Oh, come on. Stop apologising, it’ll get you nowhere.” He sighed, fixing his gaze ahead. “I’m Flowey. Flowey the flower.”

“You said that already-,”

“But that’s kind of fake. The closest I can come to a real name is Asriel Dreemur.”

You really didn’t want to push the boundaries of polite conversation, but there was no way he didn’t expect a follow-up to _that_. “Any relation?”

“… I’m Frisk’s brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE I GO, BREAKING ALL MY PROMISES.  
> I swear the bachelor party will end next chapter, then we can get back to our REGULARLY SCHEDULED ANGST AND NASTINESS.  
> I tried to cram everything in this chapter but honestly, it resisted so hard and I'm a little glad.


	29. Soulless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM ALIVE!!! More notes at the end :P

Well that was a new one. Flowey – or Asriel, you supposed – was still staring forwards, mouth set in a thin line that gave away absolutely nothing.

“I thought Frisk was an only child.” In all the news reports you’d watched over the years, no other monster had been mentioned. Although Asriel had made it clear he wasn’t one of those.

“In a sense, they are. Frisk was adopted. I wasn’t.”

“So Toriel’s your mom?”

Asriel cast his eyes over your face. He was searching for something. What, you didn’t know, but it seemed he found it, as after a while he sighed.

“Hard to believe the trash you’re dating hasn’t told you yet, but then again, if there’s one thing he’s good at, its keeping secrets. Both his own, and everyone else’s.” Your brow crinkled, furrowing as you tried to understand what Sans had to do with this. Before anything could be elaborated on further, Asriel slowed to a stop as the path ended. A metal door covered in intricate carvings lay directly in front. To the left and right were darkened archways, presumably leading on to other rooms.

It seemed Alphys had a real thing for those steam vents, because yet again, the only way to progress in any direction was to hop onto a rotating central platform and hope you were going to be launched in the right direction.

Much the same as before, Asriel shrunk down to a more manageable size. “We have to solve the puzzles on either end to get through. Take the left?” You nodded, waiting until the vent’s arrow was pointing in the right direction before stepping forwards. A few seconds of airborne flailing later, you landed, cautiously making your way through the archway.

The quiet of Hotland was immediately shattered by a heavy, driving bass coming from all around you. How you hadn’t heard it outside, you had no idea, but the air felt charged and heavy. That usually meant magic was afoot.

As if to prove your point, spotlights flared up to reveal a dancefloor of sorts. It wasn’t very wide, but the room stretched back a fair distance. Up against the back wall was a button surrounded in blue arrows.

Everything seemed too straightforward.

That was, until you noticed the strange little remote on the floor. The second you touched it, Mettaton’s voice boomed over the PA.

“Let’s see how you are on the dancefloor!”

The lights changed, and suddenly something akin to a blue laser began to make its way from one end of the room to the other. You didn’t move, still unsure of what to do.

As the beam passed over you it became quickly apparent the light was magic. You felt it scanning your soul: such a strange sensation considering you’d only become aware of that part of you the previous day. Oddly enough, no pressure accompanied it. You’d been expecting something, anything… When it didn’t come, you frowned.

That was until a second, white laser passed over you.

It was nothing like the first. You felt something vaguely unpleasant taking hold of your soul, pushing you back until you were almost out of the door again. It didn’t hurt exactly, but you had a suspicion that was by current intent rather than design.

Taking a moment to examine the remote, you noticed it only had one button labelled ‘Z’ on top. _Maybe that turns off the lasers?_

The next time one began to move towards you, you tried the button. Immediately, the light changed, turning from white to blue in an instant. _Interesting…_

It seemed you could pass through the blue lasers, but the white ones were impenetrable. The puzzle wanted you to move forwards, changing colours until you reached the goal.

But frankly, that could take ages and you had a game to win.

Fisting a hand around the remote, you drew it back, hoping your hunch would pay off. That button looked awfully similar to a target…

All your hopes gathered, you aimed. And threw the remote at the button.

It passed right through the oncoming lasers and hit directly in the centre. There was a loud whirring sound; the lights pausing in their twinkling before shutting off altogether, plunging the room into a sudden quiet.

_That seems to have done it._ You grinned, straightening up as you took stock of what you’d just accomplished. Beating a magic puzzle without using any yourself was no minor feat, and you had no doubt you’d done it quicker than Asriel.

That’s why you were so surprised when his bored eyes met yours from across the central platform outside.

“Took your time.” He smirked. “I was beginning to think you couldn’t do it.”

Using the vent to get to the main door, you narrowed your eyes at him. _This damn flower._ You waited until the two of you were well on the way to the next puzzle before asking. “How did you do it so fast?”

“Questions, questions,” Asriel huffed. “And all with the same answer.” You supposed you had been asking an awful lot, and that wasn’t exactly polite… but what did the puzzle have to do with your previous conversation? Seeing your unsure expression, he finally relented. “The laser magic looks for souls. It scans the room for something it can hold onto, then depending on the colour and your movement, can have physical effects.”

“I guessed it might have something to do with that…”

“Yeah, well… what happens when something _without_ a soul passes through?”

You frowned. “It has no effect. I hit the button with the remote by throwing it through.”

“Huh.” Asriel grinned. It was very… toothy. “Y’see, I just walked through them.”

“Hmmm…” Arching a brow, you deliberately ignored the connotations of his statement, playing dumb. “You must be pretty good with timings then.”

“Pshh. Come on, you know what I mean.”

You were very sorry you did, but it explained an awful lot. Alphys’ ‘other’ work. The flowers.

“You don’t have a soul.”

“Not anymore, anyway.” Seeing your raised brow, he continued. “It’s a long story, but to cut things short, I used to be Toriel and Asgore’s kid. Some stuff happened, and I sort of died.”

“How can you… never mind.” Another unnecessary tangent wouldn’t help, and you had a feeling that if Asriel was willing to give the answer, he’d have already said.

“I woke up like this.” He said quietly. “No soul equals no emotions. No morals. I… wasn’t very nice underground. I did some things I shouldn’t have and got my ass kicked by more than one person for it.”

_Well that explains the animosity between him and Sans._ Whether or not they’d actually fought in the past, it was obvious something had happened between them to create an air of unpleasantness. “What changed?” You murmured.

“Frisk. That brat doesn’t know when to leave well alone, and the more the odds are stacked against them, the stronger they get. And when the barrier broke, something happened. They reminded me what it felt like to be ‘Asriel’ again.” Sighing, the flower smiled. For once, it seemed genuine. “Alphys owes us both a favour and having to play nice until I can be me again is a small trade-off for a new soul. And if I get out of line… well, you saw the punishment bottle. It’s worse than it looks, trust me,” he snapped at your raised brow. “To get my soul back, it’s worth it.”

“Frisk is a world-class meddler, but it seems they know what they’re doing.” You thought back to your own experiences with the teen. “Although sometimes it feels like they’re playing a game that no one else understands; taking risks and chances that most other people wouldn’t.”

“That’s because Frisk doesn’t lose,” Asriel growled almost bitterly. “Even if they fail at something, it’ll be because they planned it that way from the start. They’re always ten steps ahead of everyone else, chasing the best possible ending for everyone.” Turning his head, he glanced back behind you. “Which is exactly why we should hurry. You did well, sabotaging the puzzle by throwing the remote, but I’m afraid it might not be enough.”

You hadn’t meant to make the puzzle harder for the remaining pair. Unfortunately, after that conversation, you couldn’t find it in you to feel remotely sorry (no pun intended).

It didn’t take long to clear the remaining puzzles. Most of them were vent related and relatively easy to figure out once the two of you took a moment to look. The few that weren’t relied on a similar magic to the lasers and hey, it wasn’t like you were using magic to cheat. Asriel’s speed and ease of movement helped you make quick progress through the underground and finally, as you turned another winding bend, something different appeared before you. Something that made you grin and Asriel cast a smug smirk in your direction.

Directly in front of you, Sans and Papyrus stood by a large doorway. It looked like they’d just arrived as Papyrus was nudging his brother awake to concentrate on the task at hand. Of course, as soon as Asriel’s quiet footfalls became audible, both sets of eyes snapped up.

“hey.” Sans’ grin was genuine, but there was a little mischief playing around his eyes. “was wonderin’ when you’d show up. or, if. heh.”

“Can it, trash,” Asriel spat out before you could reply. After everything he’d said earlier, you understood the fact that he pretty much spoke his mind without any filter, but you weren’t having it. He had the potential to be nice after all. Giving him A Look, you raised an eyebrow and waited. Eventually, Asriel relented. “Ugh, fine. Playing nice. Got it.”

Sans snorted. “i can see you accomplished your goal and got to know the weed. shame that won’t give you an advantage here.”

You rolled your eyes. Insults were one thing, light-hearted gibing something completely different. “Honestly, are you two done with the playground insults? Have some class in defeat, Sans.”

“-is what i’m gonna be saying to you when we win.”

“My name isn’t Sans. You’ll be saying it to yourself?”

Papyrus, who had been awfully quiet up to this point, chose that moment to elbow his brother in the ribs. Sans’ grin didn’t falter, but you noticed the minute movement of his mouth as words were exchanged.

Seeing the pair conferring, Asriel lowered his voice to a whisper. “This could be the last puzzle. Through that doorway you can run in a straight line directly to MTT resort.” His words sent a little spike of adrenaline through you.

“… Then it doesn’t matter which team solves it.” There would be a thirty second window before the puzzle reactivated, just as Mettaton had said. Realistically, the winner would be decided by the fastest runner.

Or the most prepared.

Papyrus had turned away to examine the puzzle. He was silent; uncharacteristically so, with all his attention focused on the task at hand. It appeared to be comprised of coloured squares mounted on the door itself, tiles needing to be pressed in a specific sequence for it to open. You weren’t watching that intently, instead waiting with folded arms whilst holding Sans’ gaze. After all, they were going to solve it for you, and there was nothing they could do about it.

It was simply good strategy.

Eventually, the door clicked. Papyrus let out a sharp exhale, quickly jumping back to grab his brother.

You felt Asriel’s vines tighten infinitesimally around your waist. “You ready?” He murmured as the door began to open.

Nodding, you grinned. “Let’s win.”

And then you were moving again. Asriel was somehow keeping up with Papyrus’ explosive energy, the two of them neck and neck as you tore through the final leg of the underground. Scenery flashed by; a room filled with cobwebs, some kind of stage with a balcony beneath fake stars… then finally, the resort loomed out of the darkness. You’d reached the end.

It took a few seconds to realise both Asriel and Papyrus were laughing; howling as the destination grew ever closer. You didn’t know why, but somehow you felt like laughing too. Something about the noise the air made as it rushed past your ears ignited a breathlessness in your chest, and as the sensation grew in magnitude, you found yourself almost delirious from the excitement.

That was until a different sound began to grow closer.

You glanced at Sans. He winked at you from his position under Papyrus’ arm before shutting his eyes completely.

Asriel stopped laughing, face turning almost feral in response to the sound. “We’ve lost,” he snarled. “I thought this time might be different. But noo _ooo_ , Frisk couldn’t let it go.”

“Wha-,” you started to say before your voice was swallowed by the growing scream.

“hhhhhhhhhhHHHHHELL YEAHHHHHHHhhhhhh!!!!!!”

A streak of blue and red shot past travelling twice the speed you were. And for a moment, everyone could only stare. Apart from Sans, who was now asleep.

“… Was that Undyne and Frisk being pulled through the air by a _phone?!_ ”

Later, when you asked the teen about what they’d done, they’d simply shrugged, telling you it was all a matter of determination, dumb luck and having a jet-propelled phone they’d never bothered returning to Alphys.

Undyne, on the other hand, wouldn’t stop bragging about how she’d heroically dragged herself through Hotland just to prove that she wasn’t a handicap.

You figured determination must be one hell of a trait.

*

You woke with a scream ringing in your ears, the ghost of a blade at your throat. Scuttling backwards as fast as possible, you pitched out of bed, not stopping until your exposed back met the wall.

_Breathe, ___. Breathe._ The air wasn’t coming naturally, an almost heavy sensation settling in your lungs as you inhaled. It took a couple of moments to recalibrate yourself enough to calm even a little, but once you did, a sense of embarrassment almost started the panic anew.

_Another nightmare._ It should have been expected really. _One good day isn’t going to change recent events, and you of all people should know how long it takes to stop this._

“Sor-,” the apology died in your throat when you noticed the bed was empty. Where was Sans? You’d fallen asleep together again, curled up in each other’s arms much the same as the previous night, but now, looking at the messy sheets, you felt a little pang of loneliness.

_Okay, that’s pretty sad._ Until a minute ago, you’d thought he was still there, and clingy was not a word you’d normally associate with yourself.

Nevertheless, it seemed the night wasn’t the best time for either of you. Donning an abandoned sweatshirt, you slipped out into the corridor. The second you saw a light flickering out from under the laboratory door, you sighed. This whole situation had a serious sense of _deja-vu._

But the moment you entered, that feeling fled from your mind. Nothing about this was the same.

The room was pitch black. It wasn’t a natural darkness; a deep wrongness resonating throughout the air. For whatever reason, the flickering lights you’d seen outside were nowhere to be found, and you had to rely on feel to even find your way through the doorway. You tried to find the light switches, but for some reason, they just weren’t turning on.

Every fibre of your being was calling out to you, screaming not to walk forwards. But if there was any chance of Sans hiding himself away in this mess again, you knew stopping wasn’t an option.

And there was a dim, red light, gently flashing at the end of the room. You remembered that was where the tarp covered machine stood. It was broken. It shouldn’t be lighting up… unless someone was messing with it.

Moving along the benches, you carefully felt your way closer until the red glow became strong enough to illuminate a tiny area around the wall.

God, why hadn’t you listened to your gut?

Someone was standing in front of you. Someone you hadn’t noticed until they laughed; a high giggle that immediately plunged you back into your nightmare.

It was a kid. They couldn’t have been older than ten, short brown hair cropped at their shoulders in a style you’d come to associate with Frisk. But their eyes… even in this terrible lighting you could tell they weren’t normal. Emitting a shimmer of their own, you could see the solid red of their irises.

You knew them from your dreams. That smile, the way their gaze had an almost tangible sharpness to it…

… and their knife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HOPE THAT MADE UP FOR MY ABSENCE! Sorry, things have been kinda weird lately. I'm actually on holiday right now because after all the family issues that showed up around Christmas, I had a bit of a bad time mentally. So now I'm hanging out with my mum on a beach for a few weeks not allowed to do anything that stresses me out (which frankly is the absolute best). I'll hopefully be updating quite soon as the next chapter is partially written anyway!  
> AND WHOOPS DID I JUST DUMP CHARA IN THE MIX? OH DEAR, I'M NOT SORRY AT ALL.


	30. First Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK!  
> And oh, so is Chara!

Your body wouldn’t move. The second you’d locked eyes with the kid, the surrounding darkness had gained a weight, pressing down on you. Choking you.

You couldn’t think.

“Oh, it’s you.” Their voice resonated through your head as if it hadn’t been spoken aloud, but rather appeared in your thoughts. And it hurt. It hurt so much. “What a funny coincidence! I was just thinking how interesting it would be if I were to run in to you tonight.”

They took a step closer, your eyes unable to tear themselves away from the blade they were playing with. It was a simple dagger, smaller than the lockblade you owned, but there was some kind of energy surrounding it, making it seem far larger.

A child. A literal child had you frozen like a deer in headlights; too scared to even blink.

“… I’m confused…” they finally murmured, lips curling back in a terrifying smile. “I thought you were supposed to be a problem, but now you’re completely at my mercy.”

Later, you wouldn’t remember what happened first: the flickering of the child’s eyes to the doorway, the quirk of their mouth as they brought the knife down…

But you’d never forget the way the air crackled, popping as it filled the spot left by your body as you disappeared to land some thirty feet away at the other end of the lab.

The room blazed blue before darkening even further, almost becoming greyscale.

_He came._ Sans stood between you and the child. His back was turned, hoodie loosely hanging about his shoulders as if he’d been in the process of pulling it on moments before. You’d never been happier to see him.

Sure, you could deal with physical threats, but something about this kid reeked of magic and ill intent. And it seemed he knew that too. Despite his thick hoodie, the shiver that ran through Sans’ body was obvious. You weren’t the only one scared out of your mind, but somehow the way he stood in front of the child felt practised. Almost like he’d done it before…

“Hi Sans!” The kid waved. A flurry of bones erupted from the floor, causing them to dodge left, still grinning. “Cheerful as ever, I see.”

Your eyes widened as a familiar blue glow engulfed their body, tossing them against a wall as if they weighed nothing. “you don’t exist,” Sans snarled, raising a hand to viciously slam them into the ceiling. “you can’t exist.”

The kid winked, landing lithely as if they hadn’t just been hurled across the room. “Well, finding a way to get out of the underground was a little tricky I must admit. But I’m not here to talk specifics.”

Sans didn’t give them a chance to right themselves, instead sending another barrage of bones from the wall. They ripped through the lab, knocking equipment flying and leaving holes wherever they touched. The kid dodged every single one with ease, breaking into a run as they moved ever closer, knife outstretched.

It seemed Sans had expected this. A flick of his wrist, and they were blue again; shooting back towards a bone-studded desk. At the last second, they twisted in the air, managing to avoid most of the splinters. But not all of them.

The child didn’t make a sound when a horrible ripping noise filled the air. They simply jerked forwards, tearing their shoulder free without a second thought to the hole that had been punched in it.

And that’s when you realised there wasn’t one.

“Oh relax,” the kid huffed. “I’m not here to kill you. Even I’m not that dumb.”

Sans didn’t respond. He simply stood, waiting for them to make the next move.

The child folded their arms, that unnerving smile still playing around their lips. “This is a social call, dummy! Just to make sure you’re still alive and kicking. Wouldn’t want anything horrible to have happened to my favourite sparring buddy. Well, not yet, at least.” Tilting their head to one side, their eyes met yours, and once again, you were rooted to the spot. “And it’s _soo_ nice to finally meet ___! I must admit, Sans, I didn’t think you had it in you-,”

There was a pop, and you blinked as your view was obscured by something big. An expanse of white bone shaped like an animal’s skull hung in the air. Its mouth dragged open with an earthshattering snarl, light beginning to gather around its maw.

“Oooh!” the child crowed, as if pleased to have elicited such a terrifying response. “Apathetic Sans finally found a reason to act, it seems.” The words were taunting, almost sing-song in nature.

“ **g e t  o u t.** ” The very air plunged in temperature, rocketing down so far you saw your breath begin to crystallise before you. Unsurprisingly, the child looked happy as ever.

“I’m going, I’m going! I got what I wanted after all… and I’ll be seeing you both very soon…”

You guessed that saying they simply melted away was as close an explanation as you could give. The child ceased to exist before your eyes, and suddenly the room felt normal again. Gone was the unnatural darkness, instead replaced by the gentle glow of machinery. Even the quiet had returned to normal, albeit with two sets of ragged breathing echoing within.

“What… was _that_?” you asked, voice rasping from your dry throat.

The pause that followed seemed to stretch on forever. Sans’ back was still turned, and for a moment you wondered if he’d even heard you. Then finally, he spoke.

“we need to call toriel,” he ground out, fishing his phone out of his pocket and searching through the contacts before you even had chance to react.

_Toriel?_ Papyrus was staying at Mettaton’s, and you felt a little rush of relief remembering that yes, he was safe. But… “Why-.”

Sans cut you off. “i’ll explain as soon as i’ve heard from her.” And then, as if a panicked thought crossed his mind, he spun, eyes latching onto yours. “were you hit? no matter how small, you’ve gotta tell me if you were.”

“N-no,” you stammered, watching as his fear dissipated slightly. “The closest they came was when you…”

_Saved me. Again._ Sans nodded, exhaling sharply as he hit the call button under Toriel’s name. You took a moment to survey the damage the battle had done to the room, feeling your heart sink a little with each fresh image.

Sans’ lab equipment was all in various stages of disrepair, ranging in severity from a microscope that had simply been knocked over to… _Oh no._

Because you’d been standing right next to that particular machine when Sans had appeared. The fight had stemmed from that single point, so it made perfect sense that the most damaged machine was the one that meant the most to him.

He must have noticed. There was no way he didn’t; holes covered the casing, occasionally illuminated by sparks from within. You hoped that wasn’t causing any further damage.

Hearing muffled speech from the phone, you tuned out your thoughts to listen.

“hey tori…” More inaudible words. “yeah… yeah i know. s’ really important. can you check if the kid is ok? even if they’re asleep, wake ‘em up. i gotta know something.”

There was a long pause, presumably for Toriel to wake Frisk. Sans’ free hand moved to worry the zip of his hoodie, still not taking the time to fully right the garment.

This kind of anticipatory fear was new. You’d seen Sans go through anger, sadness and various other emotions, but this? And if _he_ was scared, what should _you_ feel other than abject horror?

You didn’t miss the way he relaxed as soon as Toriel spoke again. His shoulders dipped, trembling with relief and his reply came out more upbeat than prior.

“stars… okay, can you tell them we’ve got a situation i’ve gotta talk to them about in the morning… it’s, uhhhhh… about the wedding.”

He cringed away from the phone as a barrage of yells emanated from it. You heard the phrase: “At this time of night!” amongst some very family-friendly curses before Sans eventually hung up with a sigh.

_Why didn’t he tell her?_ He’d been adamant that this phone call was necessary, yet when asked the subject, had lied. _Why… oh._

Before he had a chance to speak, you blurted out: “This has something to do with Frisk, doesn’t it?”

“yeah.”

“It’s something Toriel doesn’t know about.”

Sans took a shuddering breath. “s’ something _no one_ knows about. something that didn’t happen and did all at the same time.”

Frowning, you reached out to pull his lopsided hoodie on properly. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“what does?” he bit out. “for the record, i really didn’t want to have to talk about this. ever. but i can’t afford not to care anymore.”

“Sans, what the hell are you talking about?” He was starting to worry you now; eyes becoming pinpricks as he appeared to drift away from the conversation. He wasn’t talking to you anymore, more like to the world in general.

When he spoke, it was monotone and lifeless, a void that made you question if Sans even knew what he was saying.

“five years ago, almost every monster in the underground was murdered by a child. and then suddenly, we weren’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOPSIE DAISY, DID I DO THAT?  
> Poor Sans, having the truth pried out of him before he's ready... really gonna live up to that angst/hurt/comfort tag next chapter.  
> And Chara is ACTing??? I wonder what kind of convoluted scheme do they have up their sleeve now? (Basically just ask the question 'how far is the author gonna go to make this make sense?' The answer is give it 10 chapters maximum... then all will be revealed >:D)  
> Also, side note. I know I've said it before, but I SWEAR there will be at minimum 1 upload a week going forwards. I'm finally back home, there's nothing to do... perfect writing conditions.


	31. RESET

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've been gone for too long...  
> So here's a flashback chapter from Sans' perspective because everything else I wrote was terrible!!!

*Five years ago... Sort of*

 

“-and then paps called _me_ a bonehead! i mean come on, that's too easy.” Sans shuffled his feet, causing little mounds of snow to build up around his slippers.

He was trying today. That was new.

“Mmm,” the door lady mumbled.

It was sad really. Two months. That's all it had taken for a simple fascination for someone he didn't know to become a vital part of his day. The door lady was just as much his friend as Alphys at this point and Sans hated that fact.

She shouldn't be. Stars, he didn’t even know her name! For all he knew, the speaker could be human – or worse – but for some inexplicable reason, Sans trusted her. After all, someone who sincerely likes bad jokes has an integrity you can't say no to.

Unfortunately, that meant that when something was wrong, he cared, and damnit, Sans hated caring. Because caring meant becoming invested and that was not something he needed right now.

Exhaling a cloud of white into the air, he dragged a mittened hand down his face. “ya know, jokes only feel right if they land well.”

She didn’t respond. Gently kicking the snow off his slippers, Sans waited in silence. For a fleeting moment he wondered if he’d overstepped, but just before he could apologise, the door lady's voice, weakly echoed from within.

“I am sorry to burden you with this request, but it would be wrong not to ask. If a human ever comes through this door, could you please, please promise me something?”

*

It didn't surprise him when the kid came through.

Why would it? He’d had warning. A few days at least. And stars, the second the door lady had asked him to guide them he'd known. He just hadn’t expected it so soon.

The small, brown haired child was so intent on following the path as it wound through the forest that Sans remained unnoticed. He guessed they were more than a little confused at having been thrust into a snow covered world. The Ruins were nothing like Snowdin... or so he’d heard.

The kid stopped to stare at a snow poff.

It wasn’t all bad Sans supposed, watching as they knelt down, sticking chubby fingers into the mound. A little determined soul fluttered in their chest. The kid looked nice enough. Protecting them should be no problem.

 _even so..._ A devilish smirk took over his features as the kid giggled, tossing the snow upwards. _doesn’t mean i can’t have some fun..._

Anyway, the kid didn't seem like they'd be much trouble.

*

He'd been wrong. Oh stars, he'd been so wrong.

They'd been fine. Absolutely, perfectly fine. Whatever the kid had learnt in the Ruins had stuck, their encounters remarkable pacifistic. Wherever possible, they'd avoided conflict, instead adopting the ACTing methods of monsterkind. Even Papyrus had taken a shine to them. He had to grin at that. Sans was starting to think that the stories of humanity he'd read were wrong after all.

But Undyne... Sans fisted his hand against his mouth, bone against bone to keep him from screaming.

He should have known. Undyne would never back down, and thanks to the red soul inside the child, neither would they. He just hadn't expected the tenacity of a human to be so...

Sans let out a choked sob, glancing back at what remained of his friend. Undyne's dust was slowly being washed away by the gentle current that ran through Waterfall.

He couldn’t linger. Not now. Not knowing what lay ahead.

It had been a mistake. The expression on the child's face as they'd landed the final blow was enough to prove that. They hadn't had another choice. And Sans couldn’t break his promise to take revenge. Half the fault lay with Undyne after all.

_besides, how could i kill the kid?_

*

“hmm, over lv3, huh. you killed some people on purpose, didn't you? that’s probably bad. though maybe some of it was in self-defence...”

Sans paused, taking in the kid’s expression. The judgement had been going pretty smoothly but it had felt necessary to remind them of what they’d done. He'd been petty, accusing the kid of being bored as a final dig for Undyne, and it had worked. Maybe a little too well.

Their schooled, neutral expression gave way to a flicker of horror. It was as if the fact of Undyne’s death had finally dawned on them.

It gave Sans pause.

They were only a kid after all.

“... i don’t know. help me out here. i wasn’t watching.” He raised a hand to scratch the back of his skull, avoiding their eyes. “anyways, don’t do that.”

It was a piss-poor excuse for a judgement, but somehow Sans knew nothing he could say would make the kid feel worse. Stars, it wasn't as if punishing the child would bring Undyne ba-

It didn't surprise him when the kid came through.

Why would- _hang on a minute!_

Sans’ legs gave out from under him, sending him sprawling backwards into the snow. The very cold, wet, _real_ snow that definitely hadn't been there moments before in the Hall of Judgement. Sockets wide in confusion, he raised a handful of the stuff up, examining the crystals intently.

_yep. they're definitely real._

He was in Snowdin Forest again. The snow-laden boughs creaked above him, occasionally sending down a shower of coldness. The only other sound was that of soft footsteps slowly advancing down the path.

Sans didn’t dare move, not trusting his legs to hold his weight. He watched as the kid stumbled over to the same snow poff as before. Once again, they crouched to stick their fingers in the mush.

Sans shuddered, the tremor making him feel sick to the core. _was it all a dream? a premonition? some kinda heads up from a higher power?_

It really didn’t matter which. Whatever had happened, he’d been given a second chance. One more attempt to get the kid out with no casualties. Despite the squirming feeling that filled his soul with unease, Sans couldn’t help but smile.

Undyne was alive, and he was going to make sure no one died this time.

*

He didn't know how, but the kid had done it. Exhaling sharply, Sans fell backwards, crashing into a column. It was finally over.

The kid hadn't messed up once, and the thought was enough to make his grin genuine. They'd befriended Undyne all on their own (well, with a little help from Papyrus and the disgustingly dry weather of Hotland) and had even gone as far as having a play date at her house. Of course it had ended in flames and the total destruction of the fish monster's residence, but that was still pretty mild by Undyne's standards. “Besties forever” she’d proudly proclaimed to Papyrus. For someone that size, the kid sure had a lot of determination. Undyne was not the easiest person to win over.

But it was over now. Allowing himself to let out a harsh laugh, Sans opened his eyes to stare up at the golden ceiling. _it’s over. only asgore left to reason with, and i’m rootin' for ya, kid._ For the first time in many years, he felt a little flutter of hope ignite in his soul.

That was the moment the first snowflake hit his cheek.

Blankly, Sans stared up at the sky. A little flurry of white drifted down, carried down by the unseen magic of the cavern. He was in a different part of the woods to before; closer to the town, but still a little way into his patrol route.

Time had seemingly reversed further.

A whimper built up in the back of Sans’ throat, threatening to burst through, but before he could even process what had happened, a familiar voice echoed from behind.

“SANS!” Papyrus called from somewhere in the distance.

Sans gulped. _yeah, that should be happening about now. great timing paps._ Painting an unsteady smile onto his face, he turned. Papyrus was careening through the woods at top speed, grinning madly. “hey bro.”

Skidding to a stop barely a foot away and spraying snow and gravel everywhere in the process, he straightened up. “I AM GLAD I CAUGHT UP TO YOU.”

Sans knew what was coming but played dumb. He didn’t want to mess with the timeline any more than necessary. Until he figured out what was going on at least. “why’s that?”

Papyrus drew up to his full height. Poking a bony finger into Sans’ chest, he let out a maniacal cackle before clearing his throat. “AHEM. BEWARE, DEAR BROTHER! FOR TODAY IS THE DAY OF YOUR INSPECTION!” He withdrew, striking a pose. “THAT IS TO SAY THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE VISITING YOUR STATION FOR A SURPRISE CHECK!”

“s’not a surprise if you tell me it's coming,” Sans commented. He was ignored. Again.

“BE WARNED BROTHER! ALL OF YOUR PUZZLES MUST BE CALIBRATED AS I WILL NOT PASS YOU SIMPLY BASED ON FAMILIAL RELATIONS!”

“got it. thanks bro.”

Turning to go, Papyrus paused. “I DON’T KNOW WHY I'M SAYING THIS, BUT SOMETHING FEELS... WRONG. ALMOST AS IF I’VE TOLD YOU THAT BEFORE. BE CAREFUL TODAY, SANS.”

Soul twisting painfully in response, he managed a smile. “i will. you too.”

“NO ONE CAN BEST THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NYEHEHEH!”

Sans waited until his brother’s laughter had faded into the distance before sinking to the ground once more.

_why is this happening?_

*

Something was indeed very wrong.

Sans watched as the kid stepped out into the forest. They moved silently, not stumbling through the drifts like before. The expression of childlike wonder was missing from their features, replaced by a neutrality that made him a little nervous.

 _maybe they're finally bored._ He'd come to the conclusion that the kid was at least partially responsible for these jumps. They'd started after he reminded them of Undyne after all. Did they remember? The others certainly didn't... Or so he'd thought. Something had stirred in Papyrus, but whether it was anything more than a vague sense of déjà vu, Sans had no idea.

He didn’t understand. He didn’t understand and damnit it was frustrating.

The kid had stopped at the snow poff again.

In one swift movement, they kicked it hard enough to send snow flying everywhere. A chunk landed scant inches from Sans’ hiding place.

_did their eyes just turn... red?_

*

“u... uuuhhh hh...”

A foreign sound rang in Sans’ ears. No matter how much he glanced around, gaze flitting everywhere, anywhere but the red scarf that lay on the ground, he couldn't find the source. It was unpleasant; a high-pitched, keening cry that bounced around inside his skull, vibrating through his teeth, almost as if it were coming from within.

_... oh._

*

Falling to the ground, Sans brought his knees up to his chest, hugging them as the shaking began.

This was not the end.

Around him, the Hall of Judgement lay in tatters. Bones peppered every surface, the stonework brutally hacked away with deep slashes running sometimes the whole length of the room.

So many of them had come close to ending him.

 _how could i kill the kid?_ It seemed like a lifetime ago he'd watched Undyne fall, struck down as the child lashed out in fear. He'd seen the shock. There was no mistaking it. But he'd also seen how careful they'd been interacting with everyone in the second timeline. The way they'd made friends with as many people as possible, spending time with overlooked monsters like Onionsan and (unsuccessfully – although let's face it, he was impossible to like) Jerry. They'd been _nice_.

But that kid didn't exist anymore. Sans knew that for certain now, having faced them in battle. The _thing_ that had stood before him was no more an innocent child than him and far, _far_ more deadly.

His kid was gone. And for now, so had the demon. Its blood painted the walls in streaks and spatters, all dripping down to the floor. The body still lay where he'd ended the fight, suspended from reddened bones as a reminder.

_what have i done?_

“Killed a child?” a voice supplied.

Sans’ gaze snapped up. A dark shape was moving across the floor. It hurt to look at; the figure an abscess in the air rather than anything solid. But Sans would know that soul anywhere.

“you’re hardly a child,” he growled, clawing to his feet.

“Aha...haha... I suppose you think that justifies it.” The abberation snarled. “That’s a thing with you, isn't it? Justice...” It crawled closer, the wooden floor splintering and cracking with each step. “Well being as I’m still here, I think that means you did kill a child. And you're going to do it again.”

Sans opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly the kid's face was in front of him, eyes wide and pleading.

A tiny whisper met his ears. “Sss... stop them,” they murmured.

“kid?” he rasped, reaching out with a shaking hand. “you still in there?” But it was too late. They were gone in an instant, and the demon stood where they had at the beginning of the fight, knife swinging right and left as they stood.

Waiting.

“Hiya Sansy~” they drawled, running a finger along the blade. “Ready for round two?”

Sans was exhausted. But giving up was not an option anymore. Knowing this would not be the last time, he summoned his strength.

“let's just get to the point.”

*

“you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?” The monster had come close again, missing Sans' chest by a hair's breadth.

 _how long have i been fighting?_ Hours? Days? Weeks? For all Sans knew, it could have been years since the cycle began. Each fight blended into the last, every rewind launching him deeper into despair.

His adversary wasn’t about to give up. They’d fought too many times to simply back down, and the demon was still grinning widely with every slash. And although his physical strength regained each time, Sans was exhausted.

He was going to lose.

One foot wrong, that's all it would take.

And indeed, that's all it did take.

Sans’ grin faltered the second he heard his hoodie rip. Slowly lifting his head to stare at the demon, his vision pulsed as a sick grin unfurled on its face. Following their gaze down, he noticed the knife wedged hilt deep in his chest cavity.

Right into his soul.

Even if his hp hadn’t been so low, no monster could survive a direct hit like that. Especially from a being with that much malice.

Hands grasping at the dagger, Sans stumbled backwards.

He’d expected it to hurt. Death was supposed to, right? Surely being stabbed in the soul would make you feel _something?_ But it didn’t.

He felt numb.

The demon laughed. “Finally! You're way too difficult to kill, I almost stopped having fun!”

Staring down at his hands, Sans noticed the tips of his phalanges begin to fade.

_i lost... i failed everyone..._

_it’s over._

Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through his head. Strangely enough, this time it wasn’t his own. Limply rolling his skull upwards, Sans realised that the demon was howling, clutching at it’s ears.

That’s when it hit him; a bubble of hysterical pride blossoming in his chest. His kid was fighting. They were still fighting.

In that case, so was he.

“NO!” it shrieked. “YOU CAN’T HAVE THEM! THEY'RE MINE, ALL MINE!” Grabbing a lock of hair, it tore at its scalp, ripping out handful after handful of chestnut hair. “I’LL KILL YOU TOO IF I HAVE TO!” The creature reached for the knife, trying to tear it from Sans’ ribcage.

“ **y o u ' l l  h a v e  t o  g e t  t h r o u g h  m e** ,” Sans snarled, using the last of his magic to fling himself across the room.

The creature opened its mouth to produce an unearthly sound. _it's in pain,_ he realised.

And somewhere in the din, a child's voice was getting louder.

His vision was fading, but Sans struggled to keep consciousness. _just... one minute... more. come on, kid. you can do this._

**Frisk.**

The voice startled him. It seemed to be coming from everywhere all at once, drowning out the noise made by the creature writhing on the floor. It was a pleasant voice, neutral and measured, but somehow still full of life.

**My name is Frisk.**

*

It didn't surprise him when the kid came through.

Why would it? He’d been waiting for them after all. Frisk had saved his life. And everyone else’s, whether they’d remember or not.

He caught the kid glancing backwards every few steps down the forest path, trying to catch a glimpse of him. They wouldn't see him of course, he was a little too well practiced at this particular patch to be caught.

Frisk stopped on the bridge, exactly where they had before, pretending to be shocked when they heard the heavy trudge of his footsteps behind.

“ **h u m a n,** ” Sans said, almost giving up completely when Frisk giggled. “ **d o n ' t  y o u  k n o w  h o w  t o  g r e e t  a  n e w  p a l ?** ”

And then he lost it when the kid spun, diving into his arms for a tight hug.

Sans chuckled, wicking a blue tear from his socket. “that’s more like it. missed ya too, frisk.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, yikes it's been six months since I posted. Sorrryyyyyyyy!!!!!  
> And I'm on another residential work placement so this was all done on my phone. There will be mistakes.  
> Buuuuuut I was inspired enough to write this, so if you're still reading, thank you so much for sticking around!  
> Until next time (whenever that may be) *^^*  
> CCP


End file.
